Brain Stimulation Can Alter Our Moral Judgments, Research Suggests

A team of neuroscientists claim it is possible to influence people's moral judgments by disrupting a specific brain region called the the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ).

The study offers "striking evidence" that the right TPJ, located at the brain's surface above and behind the right ear, is critical for making moral judgments, the authors say.

Previous studies have shown that the right temporo-parietal junction (TPJ) is highly active when we think about other people's intentions, thoughts and beliefs. In the new study, researchers disrupted activity in the right TPJ by inducing a current in the brain using a magnetic field applied to the scalp. They found that the subjects' ability to make moral judgments that require an understanding of other people's intentions — for example, a failed murder attempt — was impaired.

Brain Stimulation Can Alter Our Moral Judgments, Study Suggests

"You think of morality as being a really high-level behavior," says lead author Liane Young, a postdoctoral associate in MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences. "To be able to apply (a magnetic field) to a specific brain region and change people's moral judgments is really astonishing."

Actually, I am far less surprised than the researcher. Our brain is not just a network of neurons, it is also a complex electromagnetic system. I don't know how long it will take for this idea to really sink in - I guess slowly... but surely.