"A new study in PLOS Biology tested whether increasing the coordination between two distant brain regions could cause people to make more generous decisions. A mild electrical stimulation technique designed to synchronize brain activity between brain regions was tested on healthy adult volunteers as they played a monetary decision game. When certain brain rhythms were synchronized, people became more likely to choose options that benefited someone else, even when it cost them."
"This study focused on the communication between a frontal region linked to evaluating other people's interests and a parietal region involved in weighing evidence before a choice. Earlier work had found that when these two regions oscillated in sync at high frequencies, people tended to behave more altruistically."
A study using high-definition transcranial alternating current stimulation examined whether coordinating brain activity between frontal and parietal regions influences altruistic behavior. Participants played a monetary decision game while receiving mild electrical stimulation designed to synchronize these brain areas. Results showed that high-frequency gamma synchronization increased generous choices, especially when decisions disadvantaged the participant. The frontal region evaluates others' interests while the parietal region weighs evidence before decisions. The effect suggests the brain requires enhanced coordination between these regions to prioritize others' welfare when personal sacrifice is involved.
Read at Psychology Today
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