Brain Manipulation and Moral Behavior

Moral values and beliefs play an important role in people’s daily life. Moral values affect many of the decisions that people make, and these decisions can affect the lives of the people around them as well. There are many factors that affect moral behavior and judgement such as self-motives, religious beliefs and historical variability. Also, different mechanism of the brain can affect the moral decisions that people make. The importance of understanding moral behavior encouraged different researchers to conduct studies that examine how manipulation of different aspects of the central nervous system affect moral behavior and judgement. 

The article “Morals Versus Money: How We Make Social Decisions” discusses a study conducted by Dr.Ruff that examined the neurobiological origins of unselfish behavior. In this study, researchers test how manipulation of the right Temporal Parietal Junction (rTPJ) affect moral behavior. In the experiment, participants were asked to make a decision between donating to a good cause without any financial rewards or donating to a bad cause with a financial reward. Researchers analyzed the decisions made by participants under the magnetic stimulation of the rTPJ area and the decisions of participants that were not under any magnetic stimulation. The finding of this study showed that reducing the excitability of the rTPJ using electromagnetic stimulation reduces the impact of financial motives over moral motives. Participants who were under modulation of the rTPJ were more likely to choose donating to a worthy cause over receiving money for donating to unworthy cause. This study concluded that the right Temporal Parietal Junction (rTPJ) is involved in dealing with the trade-off between moral values and self-interests. The main point highlighted in Dr.Ruff’s study is that manipulation of rTPJ mechanisms may contribute to different human moral behaviors

In Dr.Vukov’s talk, he discussed how historical variability and neurochemical variability influence moral judgment and behavior. Dr.Vukov explained how historical variability such as where we were raised, what religion we practice or what our political beliefs are affect the moral decisions we make. He also referred to a study conducted by Dr.Crockett that examined how the neuromodulator serotonin affects moral judgement and behavior. In this study, researchers were testing how manipulating serotonin levels would affect participants’ harm aversion and rejection of unfairness. The findings of this study showed that participants with increased serotonin levels were less likely to endorse harming one person to save a larger number of people. This study also showed that participants with decreased level of serotonin are more likely to reject unfair offers. Using the findings from this study, Dr.Vukov concluded that if your neurochemical composition is different, then your moral behavior and beliefs may be different. The main point that Dr.Vulov highlights in his talk is that manipulation of one’s neurochemistry, which is something that people do not have control over, may alter human moral behaviors.

The study by Dr.Ruff and the talk by Dr.Vukov represent two different ways that change human moral behaviors or judgment. These two studies show how manipulation of different aspects of the central nervous system such as neurochemistry or brain regions affect moral behavior. The findings of these two studies enhances people’s understanding of how neurobiology can play a role in affecting moral behavior and judgment. 

Works Cited

University of  Zurich.“Morals versus Money: How We Make Social Decisions.” ScienceDaily, ScienceDaily, 6 Feb. 2019, www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190206091426.htm.

Crockett, M. J. (2016). Morphing morals: Neurochemical modulation of moral judgment and behavior. In S. M. Liao (Ed.), Moral brains: The neuroscience of morality (p. 237–245). Oxford University Press.

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