Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Researchers at the University of Bern reported promising results after attaching electrodes to the scalps of testers to stimulate climate concerns.
Brain study uncovers ways to slow climate change
ANI | Updated: 08/01/2022 22:14 IST
Bern [Switzerland]January 8 (ANI): In a recent University of Bern study, researchers used brain stimulation to demonstrate that the ability to empathize with future climate change victims encourages sustainable behavior.
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Daria Knoch, Professor of Social Neuroscience at the University of Bern, explains: “The fact that people are not acting in a more climate-friendly way is not because we know so little about this critical situation. .
To learn more about the reasons that keep us from acting sustainably, Daria Knoch and her team conducted a neuroscience study.…
“It’s our inability to think twice about these strangers that discourages climate-friendly action,” said Daria Knoch, commenting on the new study’s findings. she performed with her research group in the “Social Neuroscience Laboratory” at the University of Bern.
During the study, the participants received stimulation to a part of their brain that plays an important role in the perception of others. This stimulation leads to more sustained behavior.
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“The application of brain stimulation to the general public is unquestionable,” explains Benedikt Langenbach, lead author of the study and a former PhD student at the Laboratory of Social Neuroscience.
However, according to the researchers, the active brain region in question can also be enhanced, for example, through neurofeedback and meditation.
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Article in Cortex Journal;
Brain research on how to slow climate change
Date: December 15, 2021 Source: University of BernSummary: When it comes to climate-friendly behavior, there is often a gap between what we want and what we actually do. While most people would like to see climate change slow down, many are not behaving in an appropriate sustainable manner. Researchers have now used brain stimulation to demonstrate that the ability to empathize with future victims of climate change encourages sustainable behaviour.
Read more: https://www.sciricalaily.com/releases/2021/12/211215113240.htm
Summary of the study;
Going with the Future: The right TPJ’s electrical stimulation increases sustainable decision-making
Author link opens overlay panelBenedikt P. LangenbachabBranislavSavicOneThomas BaumgartnerOneAnnika M. WyssOneDariaKnochOneOneUniversity of Bern, Institute of Psychology, Faculty of Social Neuroscience and Social Psychology, Bern, SwitzerlandbUniversity of Duisburg-Essen, LVR Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Essen, Germany
Received April 23, 2021, Revised September 22, 2021, Accepted November 2, 2021, Available online November 23, 2021.
Action Editor Alan Sanfey; Reviewed July 25, 2021
abstract
While many recognize the urgent need to drastically change the way we consume to mitigate climate change, most people do not live sustainably. We hypothesize that the lack of sustainability stems from insufficient intergenerational spiritualization (i.e., a vision of future people). To test our hypothesis causality, we applied high resolution transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) to the temporal junction (TPJ). We tested participants twice (receiving stimulus at TPJ or peak as control), while they participated in a behavioral economic model that measures sustainable decision making, even when sustainability Sustainability is expensive. Indeed, the excitatory cathode HD-tDCS increased sustained decision-making, while the inhibitory cathode HD-tDCS had no effect. This finding could not be explained by changes in the participants’ fairness standards or their estimates of how others would behave. Unraveling the neural basis of sustainability, our results may inspire targeted interventions to address TPJ and provide neuroscience support for theories on how to construct strategies. Public translation addresses sustainability issues.
Read more: https://www.sciasedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010945221003609?via%3Dihub
Scientists are not entirely right that direct brain stimulation can never be applied to the general public. Yes much speculation about the possibility of reforming criminals by implanting electrodes in their brains to prevent undesirable behavioral characteristics.
As the researchers note, there are plenty of less overtly intrusive ways to stimulate identified brain regions, such as drugs or even precisely tuned propaganda, tested with subject with a connection to the brain monitor.
Many people take Prozac, Xanax, and other antidepressants. It is easy to envision a backward future in which standard medical treatments for depression or whatever are insidiously seasoned with experimental drugs to stimulate interest in climate or change your mind to vote.
In a number of ways, this could have happened. American Science wrote a glowing article in 2020 on how The hallucinogenic magic mushroom Psilocybin turns Conservatives into Liberals.
The blue states seem to be leading the way in eliminating the use of magic mushrooms.
I am personally skeptical as to whether Psilocybin’s claimed effect on voter intent is real, and I do not in any way claim that the magic mushroom decryption movement is a conspiracy to change the outcome of the election. But if influencing voter intent is accurate, it will be interesting to see how authorities in different jurisdictions respond to that information.
In an age when governments feel empowered to bully ordinary people about their personal health choices, a medical population control nightmare previously seemed unimaginable. seems unlikely anymore.
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