Biology Researchers make people more generous with electrodes on their heads
A slight electrical stimulus can make people less selfish. A research team from China and Switzerland has shown that generous behaviour can be specifically influenced by electrically synchronizing two regions of the brain.
11.02.2026, 14:19
SDA
For the study published in the journal "PLOS Biology", the researchers from the University of Zurich and the University of East China had 44 test subjects play an economic decision-making game. They had to repeatedly divide sums of money between themselves and another person.
At the same time, the researchers stimulated the brain with a weak alternating current, which was conducted to the frontal and parietal lobes via electrodes on the scalp.
The aim was to stimulate the brain cells in these areas to oscillate synchronously. Previous studies had suggested that these two areas of the brain play an important role in altruistic decision-making: The frontal region processes the interests of others, while the parietal region is responsible for deliberation and final decision-making.
Stimulation makes you generous
In fact, it was found that under stimulation, participants opted more frequently for the more generous option.
This effect was particularly pronounced in situations in which the participants themselves suffered disadvantages as a result of the more generous decision. In situations in which the participants were already at an advantage, the stimulation had no significant effect.
The researchers used computer models to analyze the underlying decision-making processes. The analysis showed that the stimulation did not simply interfere with decision-making or make it less precise. Instead, it specifically increased the weight that the participants attached to the interests of the other person.
The researchers see their results as possible starting points for treatments. The approach could help develop interventions for people with disorders such as autism or psychopathy, where social functioning is impaired, as they reported in the study.
