SCIENTISTS have found they can temporarily make people less selfish by applying a mild electrical current to two specific regions of the brain, demonstrating a direct link between brain network activity and altruistic behaviour, BBC News reported.
A new study from the University of Zurich involved 44 volunteers who were asked to decide how to split an amount of money between themselves and an anonymous person. During the decision-making process, researchers simultaneously stimulated the frontal and parietal areas of the brain, leading participants to give away more money.
Christian Ruff, a lead author and professor who conducted the experiments told BBC News the observed effects were not substantial, yet they demonstrated consistency.
He mentioned that statistically, there was a noticeable increase in the participants’ willingness to pay.
The findings, published in the journal PLoS Biology, not only reveal fundamental mechanisms of human behavior but could also have future clinical applications for treating brain disorders that affect social conduct.
Ruff said that individuals struggle with significant social behaviour issues due to their inability to consider others’ perspectives and their selfish tendencies, indicating the technology’s potential to address these problems.
The effect of a single session was short-lived. Ruff explained that achieving a lasting change would require repeated application, comparing the process to physical exercise. “One workout will not improve your fitness,” he said, “but if you go to the gym twice weekly for a period of two months, your body changes. This is the same.”
This research builds upon a previous study where the team monitored brain activity as people played the same money-sharing game. They identified that the two targeted brain areas — one associated with empathy and the other with decision-making — appeared to communicate when a more selfless choice was made. The new study aimed to prove cause and effect.
“What’s new here is evidence of cause and effect,” said co-author Jie Hu from East China Normal University. “When we altered communication in a specific brain network using targeted, non-invasive stimulation, people’s sharing decisions changed.”
One volunteer described the sensation as feeling “like a warm shower or small drops of rain” and said they did not feel the stimulation was impacting their decisions.
Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2026
