Nov. 09--"I hate shallowness of any kind." So said cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in "Charles M. Schulz: Conversations."
Are we really a nation of superficial Kardashian worshippers with shredded value systems? Are we correct to label 20-somethings the "me generation"? Nope, not if you go by the results of a study by New York University psychology doctoral candidate Leor Hackel.
Given the choice between associating with people with positive character traits and people who can give us tangible awards, we choose the former, said Hackel, co-author of "Instrumental Learning Habits of Traits vs. Rewards: Dissociable Neural Correlates and Effects on Choice."
"We're sensitive to the traits of others, even if it costs us material awards," said Hackel, whose study focused on the trait of generosity. "We can look beyond concrete outcomes." In fact, added Hackel, "the study showed the same part of the brain that's activated by a tangible award is activated by another's generosity."
The 31 study participants, who had a mean age of about 22, were asked to choose other game players from fictional people who were portrayed with a range of generosity. While playing the game, the participants' brain activity was measured by MRI, magnetic resonance imaging.
The participants chose generous over nongenerous people, regardless of how many game points the others had to share with them.
This study negates previous research that suggested we only view people "in terms of what they can give us," Hackel said.
Studies like these help us understand with whom we choose to interact, Hackel said. "In a clinical setting, doctors can better understand people who have obstacles in their interactions with other people, like people with borderline personality disorder," he said.
The study was published Nature Neuroscience.
Leslie Mann is a freelance reporter.
