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Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

Monthly
208 pp. per issue   
8 1/2 x 11, illustrated
Founded: 1989
ISSN 0898-929X
E-ISSN 1530-8898
2014 Impact Factor: 4.085

Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience

Moral Values Are Associated with Individual Differences in Regional Brain Volume

Gary J. Lewis1, Ryota Kanai2, Timothy C. Bates3, and Geraint Rees2

1University of California, Santa Barbara

2University College London

3University of Edinburgh

Full Text | PDF (193.721 KB) | PDF Plus (252.976 KB)

Moral sentiment has been hypothesized to reflect evolved adaptations to social living. If so, individual differences in moral values may relate to regional variation in brain structure. We tested this hypothesis in a sample of 70 young, healthy adults examining whether differences on two major dimensions of moral values were significantly associated with regional gray matter volume. The two clusters of moral values assessed were “individualizing” (values of harm/care and fairness) and “binding” (deference to authority, in-group loyalty, and purity/sanctity). Individualizing was positively associated with left dorsomedial pFC volume and negatively associated with bilateral precuneus volume. For binding, a significant positive association was found for bilateral subcallosal gyrus and a trend to significance for the left anterior insula volume. These findings demonstrate that variation in moral sentiment reflects individual differences in brain structure and suggest a biological basis for moral sentiment, distributed across multiple brain regions.

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