According to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have discovered a real moral compass in the human brain. It controls how we judge the behaviour of others.
The right temporo-parietal junction (RTPJ) is a region of the brain located behind the right ear, near the skin’s surface. It becomes active when we think about people who commit crimes or perform humanitarian acts.
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology asked 20 volunteers to submit to a non-invasive technique. Researchers asked study participants to judge the actions of people in a variety of situations. Then a strong magnetic field was used to disrupt activity in the RTPJ region. Their judgement was totally different, some participants even judging inappropriate situation as appropriate.
Lead study author Liane Young says, "This suggests that there are multiple systems for morality and that you can selectively target and impair one at a time. The hope for moral psychologists is to discover the physical processes that give rise to moral decision and deconstruct morality by looking into the brain."