Magnets 'can modify our morality'

[Strong]

Scientists have shown they can change people's moral judgements by disrupting a specific area of the brain with magnetic pulses.

They identified a region of the brain just above and behind the right ear which appears to control morality.

And by using magnetic pulses to block cell activity they impaired volunteers' notion of right and wrong.

BBC News - Magnets 'can modify our morality' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8593748.stm)

Two days later a product was made available for use via the internet, and a porn film is in production as we speak exploiting this new technology. It is is only a matter of time before you will be able to plug your husband or wife into a domestic prototype linked to the Nintendo Wii.

Who wants one? :sqwink:

[tsdesigns]

Bollocks...surely you can't change someones moral decisions like that...

Anyone watch "the Mentalist" here? Sorry, this just reminded me of one of the episodes...

[Zap]

Bollocks...surely you can't change someones moral decisions like that...

Anyone watch "the Mentalist" here? Sorry, this just reminded me of one of the episodes...

Pretty much everything that you are, comes from the brain.
It's not too difficult to imagine that impairment (temporary or permanent) of certain specialized areas of the brain can be used to control specific aspects of personality.

If I had known this when I was younger, I might have experimented with a little something I like to call the "Threesome Hat"...

Here, put this on...
What do you say we head on over to Jenny's place and give one to her too? :sqlaugh:

[Strong]

Bollocks...surely you can't change someones moral decisions like that...

Anyone watch "the Mentalist" here? Sorry, this just reminded me of one of the episodes...

From the article:

The key area of the brain is a knot of nerve cells known as the right temporo-parietal junction (RTPJ).

Research carried out on people that have had accidents where they have damaged the right temporo-parietal junction have shown that their behaviour changed markedly, to the point where others actively disliked them. I wouldn't discount this study out of hand.

[ewomack]

I have this feeling that the machine has actually been around for a very long time but someone accidentally alerted the press...

I'm going to miss free will...

[Strong]

I've been looking at those magnetic detectors on the doors of shops in a new light.

[Halo]

Derren Brown doesn't need magnets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1V6rJ1qreA&has_verified=1





Research carried out on people that have had accidents where they have damaged the right temporo-parietal junction have shown that their behaviour changed markedly, to the point where others actively disliked them. I wouldn't discount this study out of hand.


Phineas Gage's personality changed when an iron bar went through his head.
Phineas Gage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gage)


I can imagine people using the 'my brain was magnetically pulsed defence' when they are caught doing something a little iffy. :3tongue:

[tsdesigns]

I can imagine people using the 'my brain was magnetically pulsed defence' when they are caught doing something a little iffy. :3tongue:

Great idea!

Just an afterthought...would this mean someone who works near large magnetic fields would have a change in morality over a period of time? :sqerr: start off life as a pesimist, turn into an optimist...or that kind of thing :sqerr:

[Strong]

Halo: that's the one I was thinking about initially, thanks!

TS: you ask an interesting question, I don't have any ideas, but I postulate that the magnetic field must be close enough to the brain to cause changes, but these changes would only be temporary. At least that is what I'm lead to believe.

[tsdesigns]

Yeah but surely long expposure to these magnetic fields would cause the change to be permanent? Y'know, cause the brain just grows to love the new way of thinking...

Hmmm...I still don't think it's possible. It's like hypnotism...it'd have to be done to me before I could believe it.

[Strong]

I've seen enough of these experiments to suggest that the way the brain works can be interfered with temporarily. And of course the classic example is the lobotomy, where the frontal cortex is destroyed, which has major permanent effects on people.

I wouldn't suggest trying that one though :sqbiggrin:

[Zap]

Yeah but surely long expposure to these magnetic fields would cause the change to be permanent? Y'know, cause the brain just grows to love the new way of thinking...

Hmmm...I still don't think it's possible. It's like hypnotism...it'd have to be done to me before I could believe it.

Not sure where I stand on hypnotism, but I know I'd never volunteer for it.
You won't see me barking like a dog unless that's exactly what my free will is telling me to do.

[Halo]

Great idea!
People claimed they thought they were in The Matrix before (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Matrix_defense) so a magnet defence can't be too far away.


Just an afterthought...would this mean someone who works near large magnetic fields would have a change in morality over a period of time? :sqerr: start off life as a pesimist, turn into an optimist...or that kind of thing :sqerr:
Don't know bout that but I did once hear a story about a guy who worked in an antidepressant factory, went on holiday for a few weeks and felt down because he wasn't breathing in the minute amounts of the dust from the pills. :sqlaugh:



Halo: that's the one I was thinking about initially, thanks!

One does what one can. :)


TS: you ask an interesting question, I don't have any ideas, but I postulate that the magnetic field must be close enough to the brain to cause changes, but these changes would only be temporary. At least that is what I'm lead to believe.
Woody Norris has devised a hypersonic sound device to allow sound to be aimed where you want it.
HF9G9M0cR0E
If he can do that and is selling to the military, I'm sure the military are looking into the possiblity of directing magnetic pulses (and other things we've not even read about yet) at far off targets.



Yeah but surely long expposure to these magnetic fields would cause the change to be permanent? Y'know, cause the brain just grows to love the new way of thinking..
Does the brain love things? Or is one thing the same to the brain as another? I would imagine the brain doesn't think about what it thinks about. :3confused:




Hmmm...I still don't think it's possible. It's like hypnotism...it'd have to be done to me before I could believe it.
If you were hypnotised, would that be proof that it's possible, or just proof that you were more suggestible and believed more things than other people? :P