Content
Brain sees morals differently: A new study on morals and brain signals
12.09.2023 00:30
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:23
Every day, we come across things that seem wrong, like a hungry child or a dishonest person.
These situations involve moral issues, like fairness and trust.
But what connects them all?
A new study on how our brains see morals
Some experts, like philosophers and scientists, have debated whether there's something special that makes moral judgments different from non-moral ones.
Some say that morality is all about preventing harm, while others think moral judgments vary.
How the study was conducted
Researchers wanted to understand this debate better.
They studied 64 people using surveys, interviews, and brain scans to see how they felt about different behaviors.
They found that the brain had a network of regions that lit up when people judged something as morally wrong, like cheating.
This network was similar to the part of the brain involved in understanding other people's thoughts and feelings.
However, when they looked closer, they saw that the brain acted differently for different moral issues. This supports the idea that moral reasoning is diverse, not just one thing.
A new theory was created
Interestingly, they also discovered differences between liberals and conservatives in how they judged moral issues.
Liberals focused more on individual rights and fairness, while conservatives emphasized loyalty, authority, and purity.
The researchers used a theory called "Moral Foundations Theory," which breaks down morality into six categories, like caring for others and being fair.
In the end, they concluded that moral judgments are like other mental tasks, creating patterns in the brain.
Why it's important
Understanding these differences can help us grasp why people have different opinions on moral issues, which can be important in politics and society.
