Benefiting at work from Brain Based Insights

A June 29^th study reported at Physorg.com detected prejudice in the brain.

Scientists reported that people “view members of social out-groups, such as homeless people, with disgust and not a feeling of fellow humanity. Twenty-four Princeton University undergraduates viewed color photographs of different social groups, as well as images of objects such as the space shuttle, a sports car, a cemetery, and an overflowing toilet.”

According to  psychology researchers,  Lasana Harris and Susan Fiske, the images were designed to “elicit emotions of pride, envy, pity, or disgust, as derived from the Stereotype Content Model, which predicts differentiated prejudices.”

Here how it worked according to the study: “Medial prefrontal cortex, or MPFC, brain imaging determined if the students chose the correct emotion illustrated by the picture. The MPFC is only activated when people think about themselves or another human.”

The study found that the brain processes social out-groups as something less than human. Researchers say that brain imaging shows prejudice that verbal reporting denies. I watch for the final report coming in Psychological Science and will report it here. What would your brain show about how you value others outside your race?