title: Social attachment and aversion in human moral cognition.
abstract: Modern neuroscience is beginning to substantiate Darwin's notion that the roots of human morality lie in social instincts, present in several species. The role of primitive motivational-emotional systems in human morality still remains under-recognized, however. Based on recent experimental evidence and classic neuroanatomical data, we here portray a view of how "ancient" limbic-neurohumoral systems of social attachment and aversion are crucially involved in human moral behaviors, including altruism, empathic concern and aggression. Rather than being a mere evolutionary remnant of our ancestors, such limbic-neurohumoral systems are tightly integrated with cortical mechanisms to enable complex moral sentiments and values, which powerfully influence our choices in socio-cultural settings. Exploring the underlying mechanisms of human social attachment and aversion will provide new insights and foster novel experimental paradigms for the study of moral cognition and behavior.
authors.affiliation: Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Unit, LABS-D'Or Hospital Network, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 22281-080, Brazil. mollj@neuroscience-rio.org
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moll
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schulkin
mesh_terms: D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition; D004644:Emotions; D006728:Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D009014:Morals; D012919:Social Behavior
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones