Empirical work on moral decision-making strongly suggests that multi-system processes are involved, including affective, cognitive, and physiological mechanisms. While extensive neuroscientific research exists on the neurological correlates of high-conflict moral judgments, little psychophysiological research has investigated whether stress reactivity, as biological processes, may influence judgments that are explicitly socio-moral in nature.
This research induced acute stress while collecting cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses, affective ratings, and cognitive appraisals. We also examined whether age-related attenuation of autonomic nervous system altered perceived stress, and ultimately would result in congruity of moral dilemmas about harming others.
Ninety-eight healthy adults (age 18-80) were assigned to a control, positive, or negative feedback condition while delivering a speech and a mental arithmetic task to a panel of evaluators. Socio-Moral dilemmas were presented pre-and post-stress.
In high stress (negative feedback) the younger and middle-aged adults showed increased cortisol reactivity, negative mood, reported feeling more threatened, and subsequently increased utilitarian endorsements for the high-conflict dilemmas (“Yes, it is okay to harm for the greater good”).
In contrast, the older adults resulted in decreased sympathetic activity, attenuated cortisol reactivity, and no significant changes in mood. For the older adults, deontological judgments were strengthened and reaction times significantly faster. The deontological judgments were congruous to their pre-stress endorsements. These findings support several ongoing investigations in the moral judgment literature.
First, moral judgments are not merely intellectual, but involve multi-system responses, including physiological, affective, and cognitive components.
Secondly, attenuation of age-related stress reactivity was associated with moral congruity, suggesting that acute social stress is an important factor that can disrupt moral views.
Furthermore, there appear to be concurrent systemic responses that influence socio-moral judgments of harming others.
Finally, the present work suggests one domain for which physiological attenuation may confer an unexpected benefit: less stress reactivity and subsequent consistency in moral judgments.
Critically, the present work highlights a socially relevant dynamic; that is, when under psychological and physiological stress, moral values can be compromised.
This research was funded by the American Psychological Association Dissertation Award (2010) and the Brandeis University Provost Award (2010) to the first author.
Written by: Kymberlee M. O’Brien, M.Ed., Ph.D. Social Psychology
Volen Neuroscience Center for Complex Systems, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454.