The Selfishness switch: Explanation for Reputhugs being the way they are?

[nam78_two]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20061005/hl_hsn/studyspotsthebrainsselfishnessoffswitch

THURSDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Civil society may hinge on a tiny piece of tissue at the front of the human brain, a new study suggests.

Experiments involving a "fairness" game show that the right side of this region -- called the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex -- helps people suppress selfish urges in obviously unjust situations, even at their own expense.

When researchers used a mild electric current to temporarily short-circuit this area, the law of the jungle quickly reasserted itself.

People with disabled right-side dorsolateral prefrontal cortexes grabbed whatever money they could from lopsided transactions -- even when they knew the deal they were getting was grossly unfair.

"They understood the unfairness of it all, but they simply couldn't inhibit their need for getting the money," said Paul Sanberg, director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida College of Medicine in Tampa.

Sanberg was not involved in the study, which is published in the Oct. 6 issue of Science.

[glitch]

1. Fascinating. I wonder if childhood abuse/trauma switches this gene? nt

[LoZoccolo]

2. This is very interesting.

I'm fascinated by things like the psychology of social interaction (though this is more psychiatry) and game theory and stuff. A good find.

[nam78_two]

3. It is indeed fascinating/nt

[bloom]

4. That is interesting.

Someone was bringing up the idea in the Femicide thread that people - men and women - are discouraged from being creative (often thought of as "thinking with the right side of the brain") - by the larger culture.

Women esp. have historically been encouraged to "think with the right side of the brain" - which could also go along with being self-less and with being care-givers.

Those who want to feel rewarded by being selfish - would have it in their interest to try to demean those who are not - to boost their self-esteem. Like Rush Limbaugh, etc.

[seabeyond]

5. empathy. i have cometo the conclusion their black and white

thinking is they turn off empathy. i have spent 6 months talking on a board of repug/dems and it seems to me every black and white issue for them is looking at the situation with NO empathy