People consider moral decisions made by humanoid robots to be less ethically sound than when another human or traditional-looking robot makes the same decision. Read More
Atheists are more likely to believe the morality of an action is based on its consequences, while theists are more inclined to endorse moral values that promote group cohesion. Both believers and non-believers share moral values related to protecting vulnerable individuals and liberty versus oppression, a new study concludes. Read More
Children as young as four are more willing to make personal sacrifices to punish those who do wrong, especially if they believe the punishment will teach the transgressor a lesson. Read More
People with strong moral and political convictions who saw images of protestors congruent to their own views showed activation in the brain's reward system. The study suggests violent acts in political protests can arise as a desire to act morally, rather than from bad intentions. Read More
People make automatic and efficient decisions when learning to avoid others. When learning to avoid harming themselves, people make become more deliberative. The study also found people were more willing to repeat decisions that were previously harmful to themselves if they believed better results would occur in the future. Read More
Using scenes from movies, researchers discover how different brain areas can be used flexibly and as needed. The study sheds light on how the brain transitions between moral thinking and empathy. Read More
Study reveals liberals and conservatives feel certain violations of moral concerns, such as loyalty and purity, in different areas of their bodies. Read More
From eroding the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain critical for impulse control, to damaging the dopamine reward system, researchers evaluate the impact of viewing pornography on the brain. Read More
25% of the population in the US identify as non-religious, with 3% actively identifying as atheist. Researchers investigate why many people distrust those who identify as being atheist. Read More
How we perceive moral goodness or moral badness, as either biological and innate traits or potentially changeable, can guide whether we are willing to be lenient over other peoples' transgressions. Read More
Contrary to popular belief, a new study reveals higher levels of testosterone may make people more sensitive to moral norms. Read More
Researchers argue humans did not evolve to be consistently happy but primarily survive and reproduce. Evolution, they say, placed an advantage on depression, preventing humans from engaging in risky or hopeless situations. Read More
