Neurologists believe that the brain's medial ventral prefrontal cortex is activated when you do what?
Asked on: Sep 15, 2023 06:08 AM
1
Alright, let's dive into the world of neuroscience! The medial ventral prefrontal cortex, or mVPFC for short (because who really wants to say that mouthful over and over), is a fancy part of your brain that lights up like a Christmas tree when you're doing something very specific: thinking about yourself and others. It's like the brain's social media center!
Imagine you're scrolling through your Facebook feed. You see a photo of your friend on vacation, and you start thinking about how much fun they must be having. That's your mVPFC at work! It helps you understand other people's feelings and thoughts. It's also involved when you think about yourself, like when you're daydreaming about what it would be like to be on vacation too.
And here comes the fun fact: this part of the brain is also activated when we make moral decisions. So next time you're trying to decide whether to eat that last piece of cake or leave it for someone else, remember: it's not just your stomach involved in the decision making process, but your mVPFC as well!
Reference: NCBI - The Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Self-Referential Mental Activity Reference: ScienceDirect - Medial Prefrontal Cortex and Moral Judgement
