A zone of altruism was found in the brain
A zone of altruism was found in the brain

Video: A zone of altruism was found in the brain

Video: A zone of altruism was found in the brain
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Scientists claim to have found a part of the brain that determines whether a person grows up to be an egoist or an altruist, according to BBC Russian.com. The results of a study by Duke University Medical Center in the United States are published in the journal Nature Neuroscience.

Altruists are people who help others without obvious benefit to themselves. This behavior has always been difficult to explain scientifically. Scientists now believe that altruism may be related to a region of the brain called the posterior superior sulcus.

The development of this brain region in children is now being investigated. Perhaps, soon it will be possible to determine how much a person will grow up selfish or altruistic, already in childhood, by the peculiarities of his posterior temporal superior sulcus.

During the experiment, 45 volunteers, study participants, were asked to indicate how often they provide any kind of assistance, for example, doing charity work, and were asked to play a computer game specially designed to assess the propensity for altruism.

"Understanding the function of this region of the brain may not necessarily determine what drives people like Mother Teresa."

“While understanding the function of this region of the brain may not necessarily determine what drives people like Mother Teresa, it can provide clues to important social functions such as altruism,” said researcher Dr. Scott Hutell.

Dr. George Fieldman, a member of the British Psychological Society and lecturer in psychology at University College in Chiltern, Buckinghamshire, also does not rule out the existence of a brain region associated with altruism. At the same time, the British scientist notes that altruism is a rather rare and often incomprehensible phenomenon.

“Altruism is usually both sides: you do something for someone and, as a rule, you end up expecting the same in return,” says Dr. Fieldman.

The doctor suggests examining the behavior of people with extreme manifestations of altruism and selfishness in order to compare whether there are significant differences in their brains.

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