Magnetic Pulses to the Brain Make it Impossible to Lie: Study

By Anissa Haddadi : Subscribe to Anissa's RSS feed | September 09, 2011 9:3 A! BS" !a#netic interference $it% t%e brain can ma&e it impossib'e to 'ie, and po'y#rap%s and (trut% serums( $i'' soon be obso'ete, say )stonian researc%ers* +n#a ,arton and "a'is Bac%mann $or&ed $it% 1- .o'unteers $%o submitted to transcrania' ma#netic stimu'ation, $%ic% can stimu'ate some parts of t%e brain and not ot%ers* "%e team disco.ered t%at $%en ma#nets $ere app'ied to eit%er t%e ri#%t or 'eft side of t%e dorso'atera' prefronta' corte/ in t%e front of t%e brain, dependin# on $%ic% side $as stimu'ated, t%e sub0ects $ou'd eit%er 'ie or te'' t%e trut%* But $%en ma#netic interference $as directed at t%e parieta' 'obe, t%eir decision1ma&in# remained unc%an#ed* "%e .o'unteers $ere presented a series of co'oured discs, and to'd t%ey cou'd te'' t%e trut% or 'ie about t%e ob0ects' co'ours $%i'e %a'f $ere bein# stimu'ated on t%e 'eft and %a'f on t%e ri#%t* Resu'ts s%o$ed t%at t%e ei#%t .o'unteers $%o %ad t%eir 'eft 234 stimu'ated 'ied more often, $%i'e t%e ones $it% t%e ri#%t 234 stimu'ated $ere more 'i&e'y to te'' t%e trut%, researc%ers said* "%e e/periment $as t%en repeated $it% t%e parieta' 'obe stimu'ated, and t%ere $as no effect* (Spontaneous c%oice to 'ie more or 'ess can be inf'uenced by brain stimu'ation,( researc%ers ,arton and Bac%mann $rote in Be%a.ioura' Brain Researc%* 5ast year, researc%ers at t%e !assac%usetts +nstitute of "ec%no'o#y a'so used po$erfu' ma#nets to disrupt t%e area said to be t%e brain's (mora' compass,( situated be%ind t%e ri#%t ear, ma&in# peop'e temporari'y 'ess mora'* 4ritics point out t%at study $as on'y based on 1- .o'unteers, but it nonet%e'ess indicates t%at despite common pub'ic assumptions, t%e sense of ri#%t and $ron# is based not on'y on socia' constructs suc% as cu'tura' or re'i#ious be'iefs, but a'so our brain mec%anisms* (6ou t%in& of mora'ity as bein# a rea''y %i#%1'e.e' be%a.iour* "o be ab'e to app'y a ma#netic fie'd to a specific brain re#ion and c%an#e peop'e's mora' 0ud#ements is rea''y astonis%in#,( said 2r* 5iane 6oun#, $%o 'ed t%e study*