Brain Injury Affects Decision Making, Could Influence Sentencing
Damage to an area of the brain behind the forehead, inches behind the eyes, transforms the way people make moral judgments in life-or-death situations, scientists reported yesterday. In a new study, people with this rare injury expressed increased willingness to kill or harm another person if doing so would save others’ lives.
The finding could have implications for legal cases. Jurors have reduced sentences based on brain-imaging results showing damage. BENEDICT CAREY in The New York Times.