Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/dwCg-YKSBuk

 

Different brain regions activate when you see justifiable assaults versus gratuitous brutality.  University of Pennsylvania neuroscientists recruited 26 college students to view 90 second movie scenes depicting defensible violence from Taken and White House Down but also unwarranted strong-arming from Skyfall, and Jack Reacher.  Brain activity was studied by MRI.

 

Forceful actions in defense of family and friends trigger activity in the brain’s prefrontal center that labels such activity moral.  Violence without redeeming qualities stimulates the lateral frontal cortex and labels the actions unacceptable.

 

Our brains know right from wrong due to family guidance.  Sadly many in high federal office never experienced such discipline.  We but also they will suffer the consequences.

 

Azeez Adebimpe, Danielle S. Bassett, Patrick E. Jamieson, Daniel Romer. Intersubject Synchronization of Late Adolescent Brain Responses to Violent Movies: A Virtue-Ethics Approach. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 2019; 13 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2019.00260

 

#Violence #morality #frontalcortex #brain