NRSC 4132 Blog

We all may like to think we perform random acts of kindness all the time, like watching someone's laptop at the coffee shop while they step out to take a phone call. But you cannot deny that you consider how you will benefit from many of the decisions you make. Well, you are not alone, and now scientists know why. But first, in order to truly grasp the significance of this study, take a second to consider what the word "guilt" means to you. When was the last time you felt guilty? Can random strangers evoke this feeling inside you, or do your loved ones hold all the power?

Whether it is cutting someone off on the highway or having an affair that ruins a marriage or anything in between, guilt is usually a feeling we try to avoid. The article Triangulating the Neural, Psychological, and Economic Bases of Guilt Aversion defines guilt as "a negative emotional state associated with the violation of a personal moral rule or a social standard and is particularly salient when one believes they have inflicted harm, loss, or distress on a relationship partner, for example when one fails to live up to the expectations of others." Thus, the decision to watch over the laptop might not be economically rewarding, but an attempt to minimize guilt is indeed in one's best interest. This idea suggests that people do care about the payoffs of others and ultimately, a greater state of social cooperation is achieved.

A truly fascinating study utilized a formal model of this process in conjunction with fMRI, a noninvasive test that uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images, in this case of blood flow in the brain to detect areas of activity. The study successfully identified brain regions that mediate cooperative behavior while participants decided whether or not to honor a partner's trust. It found that "a neural system previously implicated in expectation processing plays a critical role in assessing moral sentiments that in turn can sustain human cooperation in the face of temptation." So what is the point here?

The fact that different areas of the brain were activated when participants chose to abuse trust to maximize economic self-reward rather than avoid guilt shows the importance of expectations in one's decision making. So next time someone asks you to keep an eye on their stuff, know that your insula, supplementary motor area, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and temporal parietal junction are hard at work, preventing you from feeling that pit in your stomach when the guilt creeps in.

Certainly, this breakthrough study has graced our knowledge with precious clues into the mechanisms that underlie the behaviors of trust and reciprocity. By understanding the neural circuits that underlie cooperative behavior, we are one step closer to a safe and successful society.



Resources:
Article from Neuron:
http://download.cell.com/neuron/pdf/PIIS0896627311002996.pdf?intermediate=true
How Stuff Works:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/fmri.htm