homehome Home chatchat Notifications


What goes on in an altruist's head: good deeds may be rooted in the brain

Costly altruism, the kind that you see expressed by people who willingly agree or seek to donate their kidneys, is a puzzling phenomenon for many scientists. Most of these people would tell you that they do it out of love, sympathy or a higher purpose. Neuroscientists, however, are more interested in finding whether there are […]

livia rusu
September 22, 2014 @ 6:43 pm

share Share

Scientists analyzed the brains of kidney donors to see what makes them more altruistic than other people. Photo: kidneybuzz.com

Scientists analyzed the brains of kidney donors to see what makes them more altruistic than other people. Photo: kidneybuzz.com

Costly altruism, the kind that you see expressed by people who willingly agree or seek to donate their kidneys, is a puzzling phenomenon for many scientists. Most of these people would tell you that they do it out of love, sympathy or a higher purpose. Neuroscientists, however, are more interested in finding whether there are any neural mechanisms associated with altruism or any kind of behavior, for that matter. Abigail Marsh,  an associate professor of psychology at Georgetown University and one of the country’s leading researchers into altruism, performed MRI scans on nearly 20 people who had donated their kidneys and found that a particular brain region associated with processing emotions lit up more than in most people. This suggests that some people may be hardwired on a neural level to be kind to others and help out without expecting anything in return.

The price of goodness

Marsh herself was introduced first hand to the power of costly altruism. When she was 20, a freak accident caused her to end up stalled in the fast lane facing oncoming traffic. A man dodged the traffic, helped her out of harm’s way, started her car, then left before she even had the chance to ask for his name. She’s been fascinated by this sort of behavior since.

[ALSO READ] Common knowledge makes people more cooperative

In a new study, published in the journal Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, she and colleagues enlisted 39 people, 19 of whom were kidney donors. The researchers first performed structural measurements to assess the size of different parts of their brains and then asked the participants to run through a series of computer tests while their brains were being scanned using functional MRI. The tests were designed to elicit an emotional response. One test, for instance, tasked the participants to look at pictures of different facial expressions, including happiness, fear, anger, sadness and surprise.

There wasn’t any significant difference between the brains of altruists and non-altruist, with one exception: the amygdala, which is considered the seat of processing emotions in the brain. The amygdala was significantly larger in the altruists compared to those who had never donated an organ – 8.1% larger to be more precise. Additionally, the amygdala in the altruists was extremely sensitive to the pictures of people displaying fear or distress.

Previous research showed that, on the other end of the spectrum, psychopaths have significantly smaller, less active amygdalas. Practically, extreme altruists aren’t only the moral opposites of psychopaths – they’re biologically opposites as well! These recent findings seem to add to a growing body of evidence that suggests that the amygdala is a sort of emotional compass, that may actively guide people to be compassionate or, oppositely, insensitive to other people.

You might ask, however: are these people altruist because that’s how they’re built to be (it’s in their genes) or did these people just built character along the years after being exposed to various environmental stimuli? The study isn’t conclusive in this respect, but I have a hunch we’ll find out more in the future.

share Share

Pluto's Moons and Everything You Didn't Know You Want to Know About Them

Let's get acquainted with the lesser known but still very interesting moons of Pluto.

Japan Is Starting to Use Robots in 7-Eleven Shops to Compensate for the Massive Shortage of Workers

These robots are taking over repetitive jobs and reducing workload as Japan combats a worker crisis.

This Bizarre Martian Rock Formation Is Our Strongest Evidence Yet for Ancient Life on Mars

We can't confirm it yet, but it's as close as it gets.

A small, portable test could revolutionize how we diagnose Alzheimer's

A passive EEG scan could spot memory loss before symptoms begin to show.

Forget the wild-haired savages. Here's what Vikings really looked like

Hollywood has gravely distorted our image.

Is a Plant-Based Diet Really Healthy for Your Dog? This Study Has Surprising Findings

You may need to revisit your dog's diet.

A Single LSD Treatment Could Keep Anxiety At Bay for Months

This was all done in a controlled medical setting.

Who Invented Russian Roulette? How a 1937 Short Story Sparked the Deadliest "Game" in Pop Culture

Russian Roulette is deadly game that likely spawned from a work of fiction.

What Do Ancient Egyptian Mummies Smell Like? "Woody", "Spicy" and Even "Sweet"

Scientists used an 'electronic nose' (and good old biological sniffers) to reveal the scents of ancient mummies.

A Massive Seaweed Belt Stretching from Africa to the Caribbean is Changing The Ocean

The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt hit a record 37.5 million tons this May