Psychology|The researchers identified the region that regulates the desire to help by testing patients whose brain region was damaged.
Human a part of the brain has been identified that plays a key role in the willingness to help others.
In experiments, people with damage to the vmPFC region in the prefrontal cortex were less eager to help others.
The comparison subjects were people with damage in other parts of the brain and people with no damage in the brain at all.
The study was published Nature Human Behaviour – in the science journal.
Cerebral The vmPFC area has previously been identified as significant in terms of decision-making and other operational control.
The new study looked at three different groups. Of these, 25 had lesions in the vmPFC region, and 15 had lesions elsewhere in the brain. The 40 people in the control group had no damage of any kind in their brains.
In the experiment, they met another person anonymously, without seeing him.
The meeting was followed by a decision-making task. It measured how willing subjects were to exert physical effort in order to obtain monetary rewards for themselves and the person they met.
Physical effort was done in the experiment with a device that measures compression force.
By meeting another person, the aim was to create for the subjects a feeling that the efforts would have real consequences.
According to the researchers, the fact that the other person could not be seen obscured information about the person that could influence decision-making.
Score clearly showed that the vmPFC region was essential for willingness to help.
Individuals with damage to the region were less willing to make other helpful choices. They also put in less effort in situations where they had decided to help and earned less money overall than the other groups.
The researchers state that due to global challenges, it is important to find out how the motivation to help others is built.
In addition, it is hoped that the research will help in the development of treatment for disorders such as psychopathy.