Scientists from the University of Zurich have discovered the physiological mechanisms in the brain that underlie broken promises. Patterns of brain activity even enable predicting whether someone will break a promise. The results of the study conducted by Dr. Thomas Baumgartner and Professor Ernst Fehr, both of the University of Zurich, and Professor Urs Fischbacher of the University of Konstanz, will be published in the journal Neuron on December 10, 2009.
The promise is one of the oldest human-specific behaviors promoting cooperation, trust, and partnership. Although promises are generally not legally binding, they form the basis for a great many everyday social and economic exchange situations. Promises, however, are not only kept, but also broken. Material incentives to deceive are in fact ubiquitous in human society, and promises can thus also be misused in any social or economic exchange scenario in order to cheat one's interaction partner. Business people, politicians, diplomats, attorneys, and private persons do not always behave honestly, as recent financial scandals have dramatically demonstrated.
Despite the ubiquity of promises in human life, we know very little about the brain physiological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. In order to increase understanding in this area, neuroscientist Thomas Baumgartner (University of Zurich) and economists Ernst Fehr (University of Zurich) and Urs Fischbacher (University of Konstanz) carried out a social interaction experiment in a brain scanner where the breach of a promise led both to monetary benefits for the promise breaker and to monetary costs for the interaction partner. The results of the study show that increased activity in areas of the brain playing an important role in processes of emotion and control accompany the breach of a promise. This pattern of brain activity suggests that breaking a promise triggers an emotional conflict in the promise breaker due to the suppression of an honest response.
Furthermore, the most important finding of the study enabled the researchers to show that "perfidious" patterns of brain activity even allow the prediction of future behavior. Indeed, experimental subjects who ultimately keep a promise and those who eventually break one act exactly the same at the time the promise is made - both swear to keep their word. Brain activity at this stage, however, often exposes the subsequent promise breakers.
Catching culprits
As neuroscientist Thomas Baumgartner elucidates, these findings indicate that brain activity measurements may already reveal malevolent intentions at a point in time prior to commitment of a dishonest or deceitful act. "Such a finding thus permits the speculation that the measurement of brain activity could be applied in the (distant) future not only to catch culprits, but even beyond this perhaps to aid in the prevention of fraudulent and criminal intrigues - a vision already made reality in the science fiction film 'Minority Report'."
"We've discovered critical elements of the neuronal basis of broken promises," economist Ernst Fehr explains. "In light of the significance of promises in everyday, interpersonal cohabitation in society, these findings offer the prospect of being able to fathom and better understand the brain physiological basis of pro-social and especially of antisocial behavior in general."
Source: University of Zurich
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 28, 2009
The Life Story of Frank Abagnale
This is a real life story of Frank Abagnale based on which Hollywood movie "Catch me if you can" was made. Very funny and inspirational testimony.
Here is the cover page of the DVD
Here is the cover page of the DVD
Friday, November 27, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
You use 100% of your brain.
That’s ten times more than many people think, according to Dr. Aaron Carroll, coauthor of Don’t Swallow Your Gum: Myths, Half-Truths, and Original Lies About Your Body and Health. The false notion that most of our gray matter sits idle probably first cropped up in the early 20th century. “Snake-oil salesmen needed to convince people that they could be smarter,” says Carrol. “The oil is gone, but the myth is still a round.” In fact, your brain resembles a running car. All of it works all of the time, but parts “rev up” depending on what you do. That means you keep loosing your keys for other reasons. “If you don’t think you live up to your full potential,” Carol says, “don’t blame it on the physical properties of your brain.”
Spirit – P33
My Comment:
The human body on the cellular level, operates by a principle of ineducable complexity, which means, take one component out of the cell and the system fails, add one to it and you get the same result. On a larger scale, cells which are useful are thriving and the ones that are idle, are discarded by the body. At the age of approximately five the brain undergoes drastic change, all neurons which a re used are reinforced and the ones that are not used, are discarded, which kid of sets the course of life. The brain of a child contrary a to popular belief, contains more neurons that a brain of an adult. It awaits sorting, reinforcing of used neurons and elimination of the ones which will are not likely to be used.
This principle can be found in the New Testament:
He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. John 15:2
This spiritual principle permeates through entire creation and applies to both spiritual and material things. We can also apply it to any area of our lives. For example: Things you don't use for extended period of time, you give away or dispose of, only things that will help you to achieve some greater purpose in your life you acquire, and the goal of acquiring new thins should always be a greater purpose. God's purpose can be seen through all creation. I think we can learn a great deal from nature to live with purpose and meaning at maximum efficiency.
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