Would you? Effects of oxytocin on moral choices in forensic psychopathic patients.

ABSTRACT: Psychopaths are suggested to be more likely to favor utilitarian outcomes over non-utilitarian (i.e., deontological) choices. Here we re-test this hypothesis and investigate whether oxytocin, a hormone associated with empathy, can counter this utilitarian effect. Forensic psychopathic patients and non-psychopathic controls participated in a sacrificial moral decision-making paradigm. Psychopathic patients performed the task in a double-blind cross-over placebo-controlled oxytocin administration paradigm. We found no evidence for psychopathic patients to act more utilitarian (or sacrificial) or any effect of oxytocin administration. Psychopathic traits within the control group, particularly traits associated with lack of empathy and failure to consider consequences, were however associated

SUBMITTER: Rijnders RJP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11262190 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature