That is the scenario of a team of researchers reconstructed in a virtual reality simulation, to test what's going on in our brains when you choose to be selfless. And their results show that there are physical differences in the brain of people 'doing the right thing'.
THE STUDY
Participants were presented with a virtual reality Burns building. Theenvironment includes intensive audiovisual - as so-called alarms, explosions, cough and suffocation signals — to increase the realism of the situation, as well as feelings of anxiety and danger. A bar also indicates how much 'vital energy' the avatar used by each participant hadleft, to try to increase the sensitivity of the moment of their decisionmaking. Towards the end of the stressful situation, each participant was asked if they wanted to save their own lives to escape immediatelyor stop and help rescue an injured person. Researchers at the international school of advanced studies (SISSA) in Trieste, is expected to shed light on the origins of altruism. Their study involved participants in an environment of virtual reality (VR) that recreates a burning building who had to evacuate in haste. Each person was asked if they wanted to save their own lives to escape immediately or stop and help rescue an injured person. The majority made the altruistic choice, with65 percent, helping the incapacitated person - despite the threat to their virtual 'self'. And the people who elected to had previously reported a greater concern for the welfare of others, in a questionnaire before the test. They also had an extended area of the brain, the right anterior insula, which is involved in processing social emotions.
RESULTS
Most of the people made the altruistic choice, with 65 percent, rescuing the incapacitated person - despite the threat to their virtual 'self'.People who decided to help his fellow escapees had previously reported a greater concern for the welfare of others, in a questionnaire before the test. They also had an extended area of the brain, larger rightanterior insula, which is involved in processing social emotions. Virtual reality may not be able to truly recreate the danger of being trapped in a burning building. But the research team worked to ensure that simulation has fired the same type of responses as the real world.
The environment of the computer included intense audio/visual signals - such as call alarms, explosions, cough and suffocation - aimed at increasing feelings of anxiety and danger.
A bar also indicates how much 'vital energy' the avatar used by eachparticipant had left, to try to increase the sensitivity of the moment of their decision making. Towards the end of the exhaust, when their avatars were drained of life energy, almost participants presented themselves with the difficult decision of if it is going to risk his own life. As the participants progressed through the simulation, an MRI machine scanned their brains to investigate the activity.
And the Italian team of scientists were able to relate the behavior of the participants in the study of the anatomy of specific areas of the central nervous system. Indrajeet Patil studies moral psychology, whichseeks to understand the psychological and neural processes at workwhen people make moral decisions and was lead author on the paper. Dr. Patil, who now works at Harvard University, said: ' the results highlight that the majority of the people made the altruistic choice. of'In addition, the questionnaire data revealed that individuals who helped the trapped person scored more worries empathic.' so, an individual will help others in need at a cost to oneself seems to be led by others aimed to take care of motivation'Experts have explored muchmoral judgments of persons with hypothetical moral dilemmas takenfrom philosophy. And VR scenarios now allow researchers to the hypothetical and concrete, test our reactions to a wide range of scenarios. A previous study by Plymouth University found that people are more willing to sacrifice others for what they imagine to be good when it is immersed in a virtual world. The participants had to decide if a person from a bridge to block a train killing five people on the nextline. And 70% gave a response sacrifice according to their study, which was published in the journal PLoS One in October 2016.
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