Categories: Need to know

Scientists modify morality with magnets

MIT team affect judgment with magnetic pulses

by macleans.ca on Tuesday, March 30, 2010 12:04pm - 4 Comments

Scientists have demonstrated they are able to alter people’s moral judgment by using magnetic pulses on a certain part of the brain, the BBC reports. The team has identified a part of the brain, just above the right ear, which appears to affect morality. In a study of 20 volunteers, the team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology used magnetic pulses on cell activity in this region to impair their notion of right and wrong. In one test, subjects were exposed to transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for 25 minutes before reading stories involving morally questionable characters they were then asked to judge; in a second, they were subjected to a short TMS burst while being asked to make a judgment. In both cases, the team found that morally dubious acts with a “happy” ending were more often deemed acceptable.

BBC News

http://intensedebate.com/people/Gaunilon Gaunilon

I've found through extensive independent research that one can achieve the same effect via chemical influence on various parts of the brain. I think they call the trade-name for this chemical is "alcohol".
http://intensedebate.com/people/M_A_D_world M_A_D_world

Next up: study concludes moral decisions take wrong turn when ears are glued to I-pods or cell phones for five consecutive hours.
http://intensedebate.com/people/A_logician A_logician

Is it April 1 already?

http://intensedebate.com/people/RunningGag RunningGag

Not at all. All morality stems from chemical reactions in the brain. It makes sense that if you start screwing with those reactions, the 'gut' reactions people have will start getting screwed up as well.