Doing good so you don't feel bad: Neural mechanisms of guilt anticipation and cooperation

May 11, 2011 in Neuroscience

On a daily basis, our social life places us in situations where we have to decide whether or not to cooperate with others. However, the motivation that encourages us to behave cooperatively is often not clear. Now, new research published by Cell Press in the May 12, 2011, issue of the journal Neuron suggests that anticipation of the feeling of guilt can motivate us to behave unselfishly and reveals a neural mechanism that may underlie this guilt aversion-driven cooperation.

"Imagine you order a drink in a coffee shop and, on receiving your bill, you notice a blank space provided to enter a tip. Though tipping in these circumstances is not necessarily the norm, many of us do so. What motivates this kind of behavior?" asks senior study author Dr. Alan G. Sanfey from the Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior. "These informal situations are a mainstay of our social life, but there is surprisingly little experimental research examining what motivates this kind of cooperation and what brain structures underlie the behaviors of trust and reciprocity."

Some previous research has suggested that we cooperate and reciprocate because it makes us feel good, the so-called "warm-glow" hypothesis, but Dr. Sanfey and colleagues examined whether the anticipation of guilt, a negative caused by a failure to live up to another's expectations, could also play a role in motivating cooperation. The researchers combined a formal behavioral model of guilt aversion with to identify neural structures involved with a participant's decision to honor someone's trust and cooperate or the decision to violate trust for financial gain.

When participants' decisions indicated a willingness to cooperate, they exhibited increased activity in the anterior insula, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC), , temporal parietal junction, and supplementary motor area. These areas have previously been shown to be involved in processing negative emotional states such as disgust or anger, as well as with the anticipation of pain or the experience of social rejection. In contrast, when participants chose to not cooperate in order to make more money, they exhibited increased activity in ventromedial and dorsomedial regions of the PFC and the nucleus accumbens, areas known to be involved in the processing of reward.

"Our results demonstrate that these kinds of decisions often involve competing motivations. On the one hand we want to maximize our financial reward, but on the other we do not want to let others down," concludes Dr. Sanfey. "To return to our original example, our study suggests that one reason why we tip when it is not required is because signals originating in the insula and SMA remind us that the possibility of disappointing someone's expectations will lead to future feelings of guilt, which in turn motivates us to do the right thing."

More information: Chang et al.: “Triangulating the Neural, Psychological, and Economic Bases of Guilt Aversion.” Neuron May 12, 2011.

Provided by Cell Press search and more info website

not rated yet  

Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

For combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, 'fear circuitry' in the brain never rests

Chronic trauma can inflict lasting damage to brain regions associated with fear and anxiety. Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions can over-or ...

Neuroscience created 18 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Temporal processing in the olfactory system

The neural machinery underlying our olfactory sense continues to be an enigma for neuroscience. A recent review in Neuron seeks to expand traditional ideas about how neurons in the olfactory bulb might encode information about ...

Neuroscience created May 17, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

Melon focus headband turns to Kickstarter for rollout plans

(Medical Xpress)—What if the quality of your work depends more on your focus on the piano keys or canvas or laptop than your musical or painting or computing skills? If target users can be convinced, they ...

Neuroscience created May 17, 2013 | popularity 3.7 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast weblog

Deep brain stimulation: A fix when the drugs don't work

Neurological disorders can have a devastating impact on the lives of sufferers and their families.

Neuroscience created May 17, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Brain makes call on which ear is used for cell phone

If you're a left-brain thinker, chances are you use your right hand to hold your cell phone up to your right ear, according to a newly published study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

Neuroscience created May 16, 2013 | popularity 2 / 5 (2) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


New research identifies risks, interventions for children's GI health

An increasing number of U.S. children are experiencing gastrointestinal issues that require interventions to resolve, according to research presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW).

US psychiatry gets makeover in new manual

The latest makeover to a massive psychiatric tome honored by some, reviled by others and even called the "Bible" of mental disorders is being released Saturday with a host of new changes.

New case of SARS-like virus in Saudi: ministry

A new case of the deadly coronavirus has been detected in Saudi Arabia where 15 people have already died after contracting it, the health ministry announced on Saturday on its Internet website.

AIDS science at 30: 'Cure' now part of lexicon

Big names in medicine are set to give an upbeat assessment of the war on AIDS on Tuesday, 30 years after French researchers identified the virus that causes the disease.

New colonoscope provides ground-breaking view of colon

A ground-breaking advance in colonoscopy technology signals the future of colorectal care, according to research presented today at Digestive Disease Week(DDW). Additional research focuses on optimizing the minimal withdrawal ...

Flesh-eating disease victim gets prosthetic hands

(AP)—A woman who lost both hands, her left leg and right foot after contracting a flesh-eating disease has been fitted with prosthetic hands.