14 DAY TRIAL // Not only chocolate can trigger sex-related brain centers without having sex.
Even giving money for a good cause triggers the same brain centers that turn on when it comes to food and sex.
The subjects in this study received a charge knowing that their money was going to be offered to a charity, even if the contribution was mandatory, like in the cases of taxes. The research revealed they felt even better when the donation was made voluntarily. "The research sheds light on the nature of altruism and could help people feel better about being taxed. It shows that in an ideal world you could have a tax situation where you could be a satisfied taxpayer," said Ulrich Mayr, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon.
Mayr and two economists offered the 19 female subjects $100 each and then monitored their brain activity in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. The subjects saw how their money was automatically being transferred from their account to a local food bank.
The action activated nuclei (the caudate nucleus and the nucleus accumbens) from the pleasure centers in the brain. The effect was greatly amplified when the action was executed voluntarily. "What is interesting is that these pleasure areas are for really basic needs, like food, sex, sweets, shelter and social connection. It's the area that tells the brain what is good for us. As it turns out, that very same brain area not only tracks what is good for us, but what is good for others," said Mayr.
"The fact that we find pleasurable activity in those mandatory tax-like situations strongly suggests the existence of pure altruism. Of course, simulating a tax is quite different from paying taxes to a government with policies you may or may not support," he noted.