Physiological Evidence of Brain's Response to Inequality

[bobbolink]

Two related topics.... Empathy and people naturally don't like inequality.

This video brings up some very interesting questions... are we able to respect our innate empathy?

http://www.tikkun.org/tikkundaily/2010/09/09/homo-empathicus-jeremy-rifkin-on-the-science-of-empathy/

"Physiological Evidence of Brain's Response to Inequality"

PASADENA, Calif.—The human brain is a big believer in equality—and a team of scientists from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) and Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, has become the first to gather the images to prove it. Specifically, the team found that the reward centers in the human brain respond more strongly when a poor person receives a financial reward than when a rich person does. The surprising thing? This activity pattern holds true even if the brain being looked at is in the rich person's head, rather than the poor person's.
It's long been known that we humans don't like inequality, especially when it comes to money. Tell two people working the same job that their salaries are different, and there's going to be trouble, notes John O'Doherty, professor of psychology at Caltech, Thomas N. Mitchell Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience, and the principal investigator on the Nature paper.

But what was unknown was just how hardwired that dislike really is. "In this study, we're starting to get an idea of where this inequality aversion comes from," he says. "It's not just the application of a social rule or convention; there's really something about the basic processing of rewards in the brain that reflects these considerations."

More at link:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-02/ciot-csf022310.php

[xchrom]

1. Recommend

[bobbolink]

9. Thanks! It is good news, if we make use of it!

[RKP5637]

2. Excellent!!! n/t

[bobbolink]

15. Good to "see" you again.. thanks for the K&R!

:hi:

[RKP5637]

16. Yep!!!

:hi:

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Oh, I would so volunteer to be used as a test subject for something lilke this.

Inequality issues just make me crazy.

[bobbolink]

6. An wot... ya wanna breek their machinery???

:rofl:

Finally, putting those expensive pieces of metal to some really good use!

And, it also fits in with the book I'm reading.... Toward Psychologies Of Liberation

I highly recommend that book!

[Donnachaidh]

4. excellent! k&r n/t!

[bobbolink]

17. Thanks! I've been thinnking about this for a long time..... somehow, we

need to get back to our humanitarian roots!

[laughingliberal]

5. Big K & R. nt

[bobbolink]

18. !!

:hug:

[laughingliberal]

24. !!!

:hug:

backatcha

[rfranklin]

7. But Republicans love inequality....

so what does that tell us?

[bobbolink]

8. That they have perverted human nature.

And that we need to stop focusing on them, and get our own shit together.

[MedicalAdmin]

11. I haven't been a part of DU for 2 long.

But your posts are consistantly the best on here.

Thanks for an excellent article and links.


And if you might like a book called "the holographic universe." It deals a lot with brain memory encoding theory. Library (my favorite book place) should have a copy.

[bobbolink]

12. Wow... flattery will get you *anything*

:rofl:

Seriously, thanks.... I'm interested in a lot of different things, but because poverty takes not only the back burner... it isn't even on the stove, that is what I focus on.

I think the info in the OP tells us we would naturally do a lot better if we allowed our natural humanity.

Thanks for the book suggestion.. will look for it.

I'm currently embroiled in "Toward Psychologies of Liberation". Heavy textbook, but very eye-opening!

Thanks! :hi:

[dotymed]

19. Amen

It's the "them dealing with us" part that really sucks. Basic humanity IMO, is something "they" think we lack. We're chattel to them. Disposable. Obviously if this were a government "for and by the people", the elite few who control our socio-economic condition, would not be able to.

[bobbolink]

30. That's the corporate mentality...... $$$$ is all that matters, human life is disposable.

But, as this information shows, human beings are "soft-wired" for empathy.

That means that we need to stop counting on the corporate-controlled government and go back to the people.

I had a long chat with a local liberal the other day... a real LIBERAL, not the neo kind. He has spent many years in corporate life, and his observation is that most people understand the ugliness of the corporate mentality. They just feel stuck.

We need to be the "unstickers". ^_^ :hi:

[laughingliberal]

23. +1000 nt

[G_j]

46. some people must be more driven by the fear center of the brain

wherever that is
fear appears to override their instincts for equality.

[Odin2005]

10. K&R! Thank you, Bobbo!

[Forkboy]

13. K&R

[bobbolink]

31. .

:hi:

[maryf]

14. Interesting...

thanks!

[asdjrocky]

20. That is so good.

I believe I could learn anything like that. I remember seeing another one of these on another topic, and your link led me to many of these, thank you so much.

More than ever, to anyone with eyes or ears, it is clear we are taught to hate.

[azul]

21. Science!

We have much to learn and realize of our not obvious preferences and vulnerabilities.

I recommend reading The Hidden Brain by Shankar Vedantam, your brain will love it.

[bobbolink]

39. Thank you for the suggestion!

right now I am specifically geared to understanding how we can use our brains to come together, but I will keep this on in mind.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

22. K & R

[bobbolink]

45. Thanks! Spread the word, please. ^_^

[Mnemosyne]

25. KnR... n/t

[FirstLight]

26. I think I have heard this before, thanks bobbo!

I guess it just goes to show that we are wired for humanitarian and symbiotic relationships. I mean really, if there was no altruism, our sepcies would not have made it through the ice ages...helping one another is th ONLY way we survive & thrive.... too bad it usually ttakes a survival situation before those 'better angels' kick in. and sometimes not even then

so what has happened to make SO MANY humans think in terms of 'better him than me' and "i deserve that more than you" etc... is it capitalism? is it social darwinism? Is it just greed winning out over humanity? :wtf:

I find that in my little town there is often a comraderie that exists because ALL of us are scraping by to live here. So we all have a little more courtesy with one another, even in the little things. But those who come from the big city are more inclined see life and work and everything as a competition. they are stuck in the dog-eat-dog mentality.

Don't know what the answer is. If only we could locate a compassion gene and switch everyone to ON
meanwhile, i guess we just lead by example
:hug:
thanks bobbo...i haven't been very chatty lately,(jobsearching is kicking the shit out of me) but I am always inspired and glad to see you here :)

[bobbolink]

33. "Don't know what the answer is. " No, but we have some starting points, if we would avail ourselves

of them.

For instance, there is a very good book, "The Empathy Gap", which we could come together and do a book study on, and develop some ways of countering the "I got mine, fuck you" attitude.

It really is up to us... there are resources which we either ignore, and read alone, and this isn't something we can change alone.

So, whaddya say... you willing to go for a book study?

[FirstLight]

34. ooooh! cool

like an online book study...i think that would be uber-cool

then to integrate it into our lives and into showing and teaching others how to cultivate that empathy. I like!

I'll look into the book and see if I can get a copy...

[bobbolink]

36. Thank you! Yes, that is exactly what I have in mind...I think it would be very productive!

Please keep in touch with me about this, OK?

There is also another book recommended to me by a DUer which I am going through right now... "Towards Psychologies of Liberation". Just the preface alone has a lot to discuss, and much we can learn from and use to develop strategeries.

This is what we did back in my dirtyhippiecommiepinkobum days... we talked and strategerized with each other. However, we didn't have these good resources then, and I think it is up to us to make good use of them!

Looking forward to hearing back from you!

:hi: :yourock:

[mzteris]

27. maybe this will satisfy those DU'ers

who look askance at people like Bill Gates, etc. who give away so much money. They aren't doing it for their own gain, or to "manipulate others" but to assuage their feelings about their position.

[azul]

28. Giving has its own rewards, thank goodness.

And it has been recommended that it is better to give than to take too.

Plus, you cannot take it with you, so he has a lot to shed before journeying into the mystic.

[bobbolink]

41. We can't know what the motivations of individual people are.

But we can certainly use this information to understand how to best make use of our real human tendencies!

[sybster1000]

29. ANOTHER TED LECTURE ON MIRROR NEURONS...GREAT!

http://www.ted.com/talks/vs_ramachandran_the_neurons_that_shaped_civilization.html

Yes, we are all interconnected..and here is the science to prove it!!!:think:

[Uncle Joe]

32. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, bobbolink.

[bobbolink]

42. Thank you! Maybe you would be interested in a book discussion, too?

?

[Uncle Joe]

43. I'm running late for an appointment, but I will be back tomorrow.

Which book do you speak of?

[bobbolink]

44. "Empathy Gap"

Has some good ideas for how to reach people better on these issues.

[Uncle Joe]

48. Thanks for the tip,

I will check it out.

[Exultant Democracy]

35. A book released last year "The Spirt Level" came to the same conclusions measuring social metrics

The one I though was the most interesting is that in places (like the US) with high income disparity the levels about 1/4 people have some type of mental health problem each year, but in other countries where things more equal the rate of mental illness is around 10%.But this is just the tip of the iceberg they used about every social measure you could think of and the numbers are pretty conclusive.

[bobbolink]

37. Terrific! If you could find that quote, I would love to have it!

Thanks so much for the book suggestion! I have your comment saved, and will look for the book in the library!

:yourock:

These are the things we need to be discussing together.. each one storing it alone in their head is a fine start, but doesn't really work to change things. We need to come together on these things!

[Exultant Democracy]

38. I got two copies of the book and passed them both out as soon as I could

but here is an interview with one of the researchers that should hold you over till you can get your own copy.
http://www.yesmagazine.org/happiness/want-the-good-life-your-neighbors-need-it-too

[scheming daemons]

40. If this were really true, Republicans would never win an election ever..

...

[AspenRose]

47. No wonder republicans hate science.

[lame54]

49. That's explains the teabaggers...

they have no brains