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morality

·June 18, 2025·5 min read

Most People Overestimate Their Moral Courage Under Pressure

A new study reveals that most people believe they would defy immoral orders from authority figures more than others would. This cognitive bias, known as the “better-than-average effect,” causes individuals to underestimate their own susceptibility to social pressure.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 6, 2025·5 min read

Obeying Orders Lowers Moral Responsibility Perception in the Brain

A new brain imaging study reveals that the sense of agency—our feeling of being responsible for our actions—decreases when we follow orders, regardless of whether we are civilians or military officers. Participants were asked to make moral decisions involving inflicting harm either freely or under coercion, and fMRI results showed reduced neural markers of agency during coerced actions.

Featured Neuroethics Neuroscience

·May 6, 2025·3 min read

Bodily Awareness Guides Moral Decision-Making

New research shows that people’s sensitivity to their internal bodily signals influences how closely they align with group moral preferences in dilemmas. Participants who were more aware of their heartbeat and internal states tended to make ethical choices that matched the group consensus.

This shows two people on the side of a hill.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·December 2, 2024·4 min read

Study Challenges the Idea of Innate Morality

A large international replication study challenges the belief that morality is innate in infants. Testing over 1,000 children aged 5.5 to 10.5 months, researchers found no consistent preference for characters exhibiting prosocial behavior.

Featured Neuroethics Neuroscience Psychology

·August 9, 2024·5 min read

Moral Values Shift with the Seasons

A study has found that people's endorsement of moral values fluctuates seasonally, with group-focused values like loyalty, authority, and purity being more strongly supported in spring and fall. This fluctuation has significant implications for politics, legal decisions, and public health, as shifts in moral values can influence behaviors and judgments. The research also suggests a link between anxiety levels and these moral shifts, pointing to the potential impact of seasonal changes on societal outcomes.

Featured Neuroethics Neuroscience Psychology

·July 16, 2024·3 min read

Overestimation of Opponents’ Immorality Fuels Political Divide

A study reveals that Democrats and Republicans overestimate how much the opposing party approves of clearly immoral acts like theft or animal abuse. This "basic morality bias" is evident in social media posts and survey results, leading to increased political animosity.

This shows a blurry person on a computer.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 11, 2024·3 min read

How the Internet Warps Human Morality

A new study explores the impact of the internet on human morality, highlighting how evolved responses like compassion and the urge to punish are distorted online. The internet's constant stream of extreme stimuli leads to compassion fatigue, public shaming, and virtue signaling.

This shows a robot holding the scales of justice.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 6, 2024·6 min read

AI Outperforms Humans in Moral Judgments

People often view AI-generated answers to ethical questions as superior to those from humans. In the study, participants rated responses from AI and humans without knowing the source, and overwhelmingly favored the AI’s responses in terms of virtuousness, intelligence, and trustworthiness.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·March 18, 2024·5 min read

Virtual Peer Pressure: How Avatars Affect Our Moral Choices

Researchers explored how group dynamics, including virtual avatars, impact individuals' moral judgments. The study revealed that participants often altered their opinions to align with those of a group, whether the pressure came from real individuals or AI-controlled avatars in a virtual environment.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 5, 2024·6 min read

The Partisan Morality Divide: When Politics Shapes Right and Wrong

In today's polarized political climate, a recent study uncovers a stark divide in moral judgment based on political affiliation, revealing a complex interplay between personal beliefs and political loyalty. Researchers found that individuals are more lenient towards the misdeeds of political allies while adopting a punitive stance towards opponents, a phenomenon that challenges the notion of universal moral standards.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·November 30, 2023·5 min read

Music Preferences Mirror Moral Values

A new study reveals a significant link between individuals' musical tastes and their moral values. Employing machine learning to analyze lyrics and audio features from participants' favorite songs, the study found that music preferences reflect specific moral dimensions.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·September 7, 2023·8 min read

Decoding Morality: How Our Brains Differentiate Right from Wrong

Researchers, guided by the Moral Foundations Theory (MFT), explored the neural basis of morality. They discovered that while a general brain network is involved in judging moral violations, distinct activity patterns arise for different moral issues, supporting a pluralistic view.