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Neuroeconomist Vasily Klyucharyov of the Swiss University spoke about the mechanisms of external influence on the human brain. Not Want to transfer money to the Pension Fund? Nothing, get it magnetic discharge to the brain and immediately want to! Or maybe you are too intractable in the elections and refuse to put a cross next to “right” candidacy? The problem is solved in the same way. Smacks of conspiracy theory? Yes and no.
Scientists have groped in our head areas, affecting which can be made of a conformist non-conformist, fair make temporarily sacrifice their principles … All this reminiscent of some scary sci-fi thriller, but, alas, this is already a reality. At least that is the conclusion before all begs when you get acquainted with a new direction of science – Neuroeconomics, which originated in Switzerland, at the University of Basel. However one of the staff and teachers of this esteemed scientific institution Vasily KLYUCHAREV disagrees with such radical point of view. He managed to highlight in a new direction sciences are positive moments for humanity.
So what is hidden in our brains? He was previously studied as the most common organ – remember the lessons of anatomy. But at the beginning of XXI century it turns out that he can generate thoughts and regulate behavior! By studying this mechanism, you can make society perfect, get rid of criminals and drug addicts. Today, neuroscientists are already know the mechanism by which memory improves, apply principles of the nervous system for controlling robots. Two years ago “MK” wrote that the Scientific Center of Neurology RAMS developed a system for activating brain neurons in blind people so that they can to see without the help of the eyes, by the impulse received from the implanted to the brain of the electrodes …
But while neurocybernetics controlled robots, useful for themselves moments have seen in neuroscience and economists. What if you explore consumer brain to better understand its behavior? They decided. Indeed, in this way it will be possible to understand what desires drive everyone us and what centers of the brain are involved in our daily economic activity: from the purchase of goods to the decision to invest money to a private pension fund. So the symbiosis was born – neuroeconomics.
– So, Vasily, how it all began and how it turned out that you Interested in this strange science?
– It seems strange only at first glance. Me always fascinated by the study of the nature of decision making. These are fundamental studies that combine the achievements of economics, psychology and other disciplines. Neurobiology explains our decisions with analysis of the activity of brain neurons. For example, a person suffering obesity, you must definitely adhere to a diet. But will he follow the advice of a doctor? We can try to find out about it, leading to a particular part of the brain responsible for making solutions, sensors that record brain cell activity. In addition, I was always interested to know which mechanism makes a person fall under the influence of others. In general, we engaged in purely fundamental studies of nature human behavior.
– And here economists took you into circulation …
– It turned out that economists also studied nature for many years. decision-making, however, they were mainly interested in behavior people in financial transactions: when investing money, creating retirement savings or shopping in supermarkets, motives, forcing consumers to choose one or another product. And they studied these puzzles of behavior, relying solely on mathematical, linear computing and a psychological model based on the assumption that people are rational and predictable. However more ten years ago, the famous psychologist Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate in economics, proved that people are not always rational, capable of illogical behavior and therefore absolutely non-linear. Here economists and needed the help of neuroscientists to help us to understand the complex structure of the brain of a potential investor or the buyer.
– You said that a person is sometimes unpredictable. Give an example of the game of the mind, which happened to face psychologists-economists.
– One of the mysteries, for example, is that people don’t love to put off to retirement. Neuroeconomic Research showed that in the frontal frontal zone of the cerebral cortex there is a zone for making rational decisions, a “zone of self-control.” And u well-controlling herself, she actively works precisely on emotional background. But there are few of them. When the organizers lotteries offer winners a choice: get 50 million now or 100 million in equal shares over 10 years, they are in most choose their 50 million now. After all, the farther away in time the moment you receive pleasure, the less it is our pleasure attracts.
The new science of neuroeconomics is also aimed at helping correct such decisions, especially for patients with certain disorders, who can lose all the money in an hour. For example, we we can try to “influence” the acceptance zone with a magnetic field decisions, and the citizen will begin to actively control his behavior.
– A magnetic field … to the brain ?!
– Do not be alarmed, I cited this as an example, we set up such experiments Now only in laboratory conditions. But basically in transcranial magnetic stimulation is no big deal. Device represents a coil with wires. Runs fast on them current, resulting in a strong magnetic field, its narrow beam. He is sent to a specific area of the brain and affect from one to 30 minutes. Ideally, man is nothing feels, except that in the zone of influence of the field the muscles can to twitch involuntarily. Something similar already, by the way, designed for US military personnel. If not mistaken, this helmet with magnetic brain stimulation. What are they stimulating there, I I do not know for sure.
– And after such a correction a person will forever remain Skopidom?
– Not. The effect of a separate magnetic action on the brain is usually lasts from 30 minutes to 1 hour. I will give one more example irrational in terms of classical economics behavior. We offered the two subjects to play the Ultimatum game. To one gave 100 dollars, which he had to share with his partner. And he could take 99 for himself, and give a colleague a dollar. In his in turn, the last player had the right to give up his share if I would consider the division unfair, and in this case the money did not get to nobody.
As shown by experiments at universities in Basel and Zurich, players began to abandon the “legal” share immediately, as only saw injustice. Probably, this concept is inherent in to our social nature, but to economists with their “rational” it was very difficult to understand with concepts. After all, from their “linear” point view, taking at least a dollar is better than being left with nothing … But neuroeconomists have found that at the time of the proposal unfair amounts in the brain of the subjects are activated neurons of a certain emotional area. At the time of the decision to refuse the money activity becomes even greater – it can only be compared with that which occurs with pain or disgust. By the way, the same feeling justice demonstrate and monkeys.
– And this feeling can also be suppressed by magnetic blow?
– Yes, for a short time you can make people agree with unfair sharing of money.
– It turns out that it’s easy to make a puppet out of a person, forcing decisions against his principles?
– In the laboratory, you can influence decision making human using neurobiological methods. But this process is very painstaking and complex. And to some extent, much larger in volumes, this is already being done with the help of commercials, who play on TV. People prone to conformism, suggestions, conducted on them very quickly. For neuroeconomics is much more important understand the fundamental mechanisms of these manipulations. It will help us better control ourselves and better understand the impact on us. we just starting such studies, but theoretically now neurobiological method, you can even try from a conformist make a nonconformist, and vice versa.
I agree with everyone, but only for an hour
– And where is our zone of intransigence or vice versa?
– The zone of involvement in conformism runs exactly in the middle the meridian of the brain. By the way, this zone can be activated and chemical methods. There is such a substance as dopamine, which contained in our brain, including in this zone. Danish scientists recently discovered: the more it is, the more confident the person is, accommodating and vice versa.
On the other hand, you can also influence our credulity with a simple spray. Roughly speaking, if you squeak in your nose hormone oxytocin, then a person increases for a while degree of trust in others and fear disappears. Inspired by such conclusions, the discoverers of this effect began to advertise its as a universal tool to increase trust and social harmony, however, soon stopped short. In Holland during the study the effects of oxytocin was found to be a “hormone of the social world and trust, “as he was christened, improves relations between people only in your social group. To an external group, a man using oxytocin spray, it became extremely suspicious and aggressive.
– I suspect that cunning dealers from supermarkets are already rubbing their hands to use any of the proposed science funds in their sales areas and increase sales some stale goods.
– There were such requests, but their answer did not satisfy. The thing is that oxytocin to affect a large group of buyers it would take so much that had to be created in the store real cloud of this substance.
– So, thank God, we’re not walking in formation will force.
– Yes, this is unlikely, at least now it’s almost impracticable.
– Well, in principle? That ruling party wants to everyone voted for her candidate …
– Influence on the brain from afar will not work – directional the beam of magnetic waves is strong only in close proximity to the brain, and as it moves away from the object it weakens very quickly. But there is a slower, but sure mechanism, which over time will help the opposition. If they are organized and systematic will come to the polls with loud slogans then gradually Doubters will be drawn to their side. Change Preferences will arise like a snowball towards the visible oppositionally active the majority. When a person sees that his opinion is different from the opinions of a large group of people, he unconsciously changes his mind, because in the brain at the level of neurons the signal is turned on: “Mine the former belief is a mistake! “. It is inherent in us evolutionarily – ancient people could only survive together.
– But why are the current rallies not different one hundred percent turnout Muscovites?
– Because on TV we are shown another “majority”, content with power, and as a result, two are always fighting in our brains opinions.
“Our freedom is an illusion”
– Not so long ago, American neuroeconomists at the University of Oregon got a very interesting result by studying nature charity, says Klyucharyov. – They took as a model European donation system, which is immediately taken away from citizens with taxes, and voluntary American. Simulating various situations in the scanner, they realized that the greatest positive it’s a voluntary colored emotional response that evokes donation.
– And if the charity zone is additionally stimulate, we will give all our property for donations? So, probably gypsies are acting ….
– This is not a separate “charity center” in the brain, but that the most notorious pleasure center that activates when we do charity work. Stimulating it can cause serious side effects, such as risky behavior, associated with the disappearance of the concept of self-control and self-preservation. So, as you can see, brain games are very dangerous.
– Well, if everyone adheres to such views, but I doubt that we will succeed not to let the genie out jug.
– Modern neurobiological technologies and motives of our behaviors are so complex and confusing that in the coming decades we will not be able to manipulate with acceptable accuracy by people. In addition, in modern Western universities such experiments are under the strict control of ethics commissions.
– But will the neuroeconomics of our ideas about own freedom?
– By and large, we are all not free. The concept of freedom of choice – this is a myth, I am more and more convinced of this. You believe in cause and effect relationships?
– Well yes.
– And I believe. And this means that what is inherent in us at birth: a genetic set, the activity of neurons in one or another zone of the brain – all this (taking into account the specific conditions of the environment in which we are growing) will ultimately lead to a predicted result. To refute this is to expect the possibility of a fall Leaning tower of Pisa in the opposite direction from its slope. She is already tilted, slowly but surely approaching the earth, and the other to be can not. Exactly the same processes occur with us: the mechanism launched. In this regard, I, despite the fact that I am not religious, agree with Protestants whose main dogma is predestination everything and everything.
“But surprises do happen in our lives.” TO for example, in drunk parents, just exemplary are born children.
– And this is also due to genetics, neurons and specific social environment. Here, in my opinion, there is no free of choice. We don’t know from whom exactly the child inherited positive traits – maybe it was his grandparents. Then they met a good teacher on the way, and, following a certain activity of their brain, they chose the right path of life. To me in this case, like Spinoza’s statement: “Man is deceiving talking about freedom. He just does not know the real reasons for his behavior. ”
– Well, are there any advantages in your science for easy person?
– Of course have. Knowing how businessmen can influence us, advertisers, bankers, we can resist this.
– How?
– Rule number 1. Never succumb to beautiful promises loud statements in commercials. They almost always embellish product. Rule number 2. Do not let TV influence your opinion about politicians, judge them by business. There is nothing in the powers that be supernatural, and therefore evaluate them with the same standard as locksmith in your DEZ.
– And if in a year or two they start to process us “neuroeconomic ways”, we can somehow notice it, feel?
– Simple prototypes of special gadgets are already appearing, to For example, there are iPhones that read brain activity, headphones against winter depression. But they are not dangerous, their goal is to register brain function (like your mood) and affect the brain in good purposes. Most likely, neuroeconomic methods never will be applied to a wide audience, but may find their application for testing marketing companies, optimization work with clients. The only thing that raises some concerns these are neuroeconomic studies of genetic predispositions to certain decisions.
Access to our genetic information may be wrong used, for example, by medical insurance companies. IN in the future they can easily increase the size of the premium a person with a genetic predisposition to risk behavior. Therefore, initiatives on the total collection of genetic information, for example, coming from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, should be under strict public scrutiny.
So, once again we are convinced that everything has a reverse side: genetics treat diseases, but they can also wrap the acquired knowledge against patients. Neuroscientists create assistant robots, but with their using cunning marketers can bankrupt you in two accounts. IN in general, remember that our main trump card in front of all the tricky neurotechnology is our inborn sense of universal justice, thanks to which we better give up the dollar, than agree with dishonest sharing.
Time Money Economy
