Bioelectrical brain activity can predict prosocial behavior

TL;DR

This study shows that EEG brain activity patterns can predict prosocial versus proself behavior in social dilemmas, with socialization influencing these neural signatures.

Contribution

It identifies specific EEG spectral patterns associated with prosocial and proself decisions and demonstrates how socialization modifies these neural correlates.

Findings

Increased beta rhythm in orbital prefrontal cortex correlates with noncooperative decisions.

Theta and alpha rhythms are linked to cooperative choices.

Socialization alters spectral density patterns, influencing cooperation levels.

Abstract

Generally, people behave in social dilemmas such as proself and prosocial. However, inside social groups, people have a tendency to choose prosocial alternatives due to in-group favoritism. The bioelectrical activity of the human brain shows the differences between proself and prosocial exist even out of a socialized group. Moreover, a group socialization strengthens these differences. We used EEG System, "Neuron-Spectrum-4/EPM" (16 channels), to track the brain bioelectrical activity during decision making in laboratory experiments with the Prisoner's dilemma game and the short-term socialization stage. We compared the spatial distribution of the spectral density during the different experimental parts. The noncooperative decision was characterized by the increased values of spectral the beta rhythm in the orbital regions of prefrontal cortex. The cooperative choice, on the contrary, was accompanied by the theta-rhythm activation in the central cortex regions in both hemispheres and the high-frequency alpha rhythm in the medial regions of the prefrontal cortex. People who increased the cooperation level after the socialization stage was initially different from the ones who decreased the cooperation in terms of the bioelectrical activity. Well-socialized participants differed by increased values of spectral density of theta-diapason and decreased values of spectral density of beta-diapason in the middle part of frontal lobe. People who decreased the cooperation level after the socialization stage was characterized by decreased values of spectral density of alpha rhythm in the middle and posterior convex regions of both hemispheres.