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Research shows decisions made by heart increase altruistic behaviour

By
Web Desk

March 18, 2022

An MRI brain scan in an undated image. Scans have shown near-normal brain activity in a second patient who is in a vegetative state, British researchers reported on Monday in a study that may show a way to predict who is likely to recover from the usually hopeless condition. — Reuters/NIH/Handout
An MRI brain scan in an undated image. Scans have shown near-normal brain activity in a second patient who is in a vegetative state, British researchers reported on Monday in a study that may show a way to predict who is likely to recover from the usually hopeless condition. — Reuters/NIH/Handout

  • Research shows decisions made by the heart increase prosocial behaviour.
  • It was led by Manja Gartner.
  • The research included 1,828 participants.

Recent research led by Manja Gartner shows that decisions that are made by heart and not the brain increase altruistic behaviour, News18 reported.

Decisions are taken usually by a combination of brain and heart giving us both rational and affective elements, respectively.

However, the team suggests that affective components in decisions are directly proportional to prosocial behaviour.

The study involved a widely representative sample. With 1,828 participants, it was intensive research. Participants’ decisions and their perspectives of those decisions were assessed. They were asked to identify whether their decisions were intuitive or deliberative.

The researchers also noticed that decisions that were intuitive rather than rational had more positive effects. 

Research revealed a lot about human judgment and laid grounds for further studies in altruism.