Scientists Find 'Altruistic' Center of the Brain

davidwr writes "A team of researchers at Duke University published a paper linking the brain's posterior superior temporal cortex to altruistic behavior. The BBC also picked up the story. If confirmed this has applications in neurology, psychology, child-rearing, and a host of other domains. From the BBC piece: 'Using brain scans, the US investigators found this region related to a person's real-life unselfish behaviour. The Duke University Medical Center study on 45 volunteers is published in Nature Neuroscience. The participants were asked to disclose how often they engaged in different helping behaviours, such as doing charity work, and were also asked to play a computer game designed to measure altruism.'"

Comments

Ok, how do I zap that part.

[Anonymous Coward]

I'm sick of being altruistic while selfish bastards get all the money.

Re:Ok, how do I zap that part.

[Marxist Hacker 42]

Better yet- this could be the key to a new version of communism. Only those with well-developed altruistic brains need apply to be Alphas or Betas in our brave, new world.

Raises questions

[UbuntuDupe]

This just seems like a very roundabout, tenuous way to find the altruism center. They used an extremely unreliable method -- survey responses -- and then had people play a computer game they *know* is pretend, which would just show how altruistic they are in fake scenarios, which isn't really altruism, just like my willingness to slaughter demons in Doom doesn't show a real "willingness to resort to violence".

Much cheaper way to accomplish the same thing:

-Scan Ayn Rand's brain (Peikoff would be a fine subsititute today if you need a living one).
-Compare to an average human's brain.
-Look for the most striking difference.

Re:Raises questions

[MillionthMonkey]

I'm being evaluated for a medial temporal lobectomy for epileptic seizures.

I'll let you guys know if I wake up after the surgery to find that I'm altruistic on my left side only. Or maybe I won't care about keeping you informed anymore; I figure it's 50-50.

Re:Raises questions

[nizo]

Man I wish I knew someone who was having brain surgery. It would be so much fun to speak gibberish to them when they wake up, and then when they start screaming just say, "aww man don't worry I am just messing with you". Yeah I just know they would love that.

Thanks, science!

[Rob T Firefly]

That was really great of them to do this study and share it with us. They didn't even have to do that!

Re:Lets be realistic about how much we can predict

[Dunbal]

they will throw themselves on a grenade to save a comrade's life five years hence.

      And tell me what's wrong with throwing a comrade on the grenade to save your own, uhh, nevermind...