Doing good so you don't feel bad: Neural mechanisms of guilt anticipation and cooperation
Wednesday, May 11, 2011 - 15:30
in Psychology & Sociology
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 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.