Cognitive Control Decides Your Honesty Level

What makes someone cheat and what reverts the cheaters to be honest and honest people to cheat, depends on the Cognitive control of an individual as per a study “Cognitive Control Promotes either Honesty or Dishonesty, Depending on One’s Moral Default”, published in the journal JNeurosci. Humans' ability to override the brain’s impulses, like focusing on one person in the crowd and ignoring distractions is primarily driven by cognitive control. It also plays a role in making moral decisions.

But does cognitive control override a moral impulse, to be honest, or to be dishonest? It depends on a person’s moral default states the new study.

The Cognitive Control

The study team allowed the participants to play spot the difference and win a reward when they reported finding three differences. They used EEG to then explore the activity pattern of cognitive control and compare it to the brain activity of participants during the cheating task.

It was found that the moral default of the participants varied: some people chose to cheat a few times, while others only told the truth a few times. As participants decided whether or not to cheat, the activity of theta brainwaves strengthened — an activity pattern representative of cognitive control.

Thus a stronger theta activity denoted the participants' moves to go against their moral default: cheaters were more likely, to be honest, and honest people were more likely to cheat.

Source-Medindia