A collaborative study by the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School, the Shanghai, China-based Shanghai International Studies University and the Berlin, Germany-based Charite Universitatsmediz has shown that people who say they excel at deciding whether choices are right or wrong have more going on in their brains' reward centers than those who say they don't do well deciding whether choices are right or wrong.
The study, released in the August issue of Scientific Reports, looked at links between the ability to decide right and wrong and how much was happening in the brain's reward center while people were not doing anything and while they had to take part in assessing possible outcomes of a certain choice and then making a choice, a posting on the Penn Medicine website said.
Researchers conducting the study believe the outcomes could help scientists get a better grasp of how the brain works depending on the ability to decide what is right and what is wrong, the posting said. Those researchers also believe that the outcomes could help scientists get a better grasp of what causes certain people who say they excel at deciding what is right and what is wrong to engage in activities that help humanity, such as aiding neighborhood efforts and donating time or money to help less fortunate people.
