Belief formation – A driving force for brain evolution

Seitz, Rüdiger J.; Angel, Hans-Ferdinand

doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2020.105548

Cited by 55 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 85 publications

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“…Other interesting research questions arising from our work include how the brain represents BOP. Different types of beliefs exist in human mind and may have distinct neural underpinnings (Harris et al, 2009;Seitz and Angel, 2020). To address neural representations of BOP will allow researchers to further explore and construct neural models of the interaction between beliefs and empathic brain activity in the key nodes of the empathy network.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural mechanisms of regulation of empathy and altruism by beliefs of others’ pain

Han

2021

Preprint

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Perceived cues signaling others' pain induce empathy that in turn motivates altruistic behavior toward those who appear suffering. This perception-emotion-behavior reactivity is the core of human altruism but does not always occur in real life situations. Here, by integrating behavioral and multimodal neuroimaging measures, we investigate neural mechanisms underlying the functional role of beliefs of others' pain in modulating empathy and altruism. We show evidence that decreasing (or enhancing) beliefs of others' pain reduces (or increases) subjective estimation of others' painful emotional states and monetary donations to those who show pain expressions. Moreover, decreasing beliefs of others' pain attenuates neural responses to perceived cues signaling others' pain within 200 ms after stimulus onset and modulate neural responses to others' pain in the frontal cortices and temporoparietal junction. Our findings highlight beliefs of others' pain as a fundamental cognitive basis of human empathy and altruism and unravel the intermediate neural architecture.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural mechanisms of regulation of empathy and altruism by beliefs of others’ pain

Han

2021

Preprint

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“…With respect to the neural processes affording belief formation, three belief categories have been identified on the psychic level (Figure 1). As detailed elsewhere (Seitz & Angel, 2020), the first category concerns concrete objects in the external environment. For example, a perceived object is valuated in terms of what its meaning is to the exploring subject, such that an emotional loading becomes assigned to the object including aesthetic value, desirability or averseness and threat (Ishizu & Zeki, 2013;Rolls, 2006;Thiruchselvam, Harper, & Homer, 2016).…”

Section: Omnipresence Of Beliefsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Beliefs: A challenge in neuropsychological disorders

Seitz

2021

Journal of Neuropsychology

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Introduction. Beliefs have recently been defined as the neural product of perception of objects and events in the external world and of an affirmative internal affective state reflecting personal meaning. It is, however, undetermined in which way diseases of the brain affect these integrative processes.Methods. Here, the formation and updating of abnormal beliefs in cerebral disorders are described.Results. It will be shown that well-defined neuropsychological syndromes resulting from brain lesions also interfere with the neural processes that enable the formation, updating and communication of beliefs. Similarly, in neuropsychiatric disorders abnormal and delusional beliefs appear to be caused by altered perception and/or misattribution of aversive meaning. Conclusion.Given the importance of beliefs for ordinary social behaviour, abnormal beliefs are a challenge in neuropsychological disorders.Beliefs, a heavily discussed topic in Western philosophy since centuries, have gained an increasing interest in cognitive psychology in recent years. The neuroscientific study of beliefs has enjoyed recently a multi-level approach including neural, psychic, experiential, behavioural and social levels. In functional terms, beliefs have been defined as relatively stable accounts of what a subject holds to be true and to predict future events (Connors & Halligan, 2015). In neural processing terms, it has been proposed that in most cases one of the functions of beliefs is to integrate perceived signals in the environment with attribution of personal emotional value (

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“…Research suggests that it is the result of evolution and the phylogenetic enlargement of the brain, including the parietal and medial frontal cortex in humans. 2 And according to many studies, abnormal and delusional beliefs encountered in psychiatric practice appear to be caused by altered perception and/or misattribution of aversive meaning. 3 Lesions in the right hemisphere have been reported to play an important role in generating delusional beliefs.…”

Section: Enter Politics!mentioning

confidence: 99%

From ideology to articles of faith: The ‘religification’ of political beliefs

Nasrallah¹

2021

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Belief formation – A driving force for brain evolution

Cited by 55 publications

References 85 publications

Neural mechanisms of regulation of empathy and altruism by beliefs of others’ pain

Neural mechanisms of regulation of empathy and altruism by beliefs of others’ pain

Beliefs: A challenge in neuropsychological disorders

From ideology to articles of faith: The ‘religification’ of political beliefs

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