Name: How we read each other's minds
Uploaded: 2009-09-10T01:00:00Z
Duration: 16 min 37 s
Description: Sensing the motives and feelings of others is a natural talent for humans. But how do we do it? Here, Rebecca Saxe shares fascinating lab work that uncovers how the brain thinks about other peoples' thoughts -- and judges their actions.

Sensing the motives and feelings of others is a natural talent for humans. But how do we do it? Here, Rebecca Saxe shares fascinating lab work that uncovers how the brain thinks about other peoples' thoughts -- and judges their actions.

How we read each other's minds

Humans rely on a specialized brain region, the right temporo-parietal junction, to intuit what others think and feel. This ability develops slowly across childhood, as shown in experiments where young kids struggle to grasp that others can hold false beliefs. Brain scans reveal that even in adults, differences in this region help explain why people vary in their ability to judge others’ intentions and actions. Remarkably, brief magnetic pulses can even shift how the brain weighs moral blame.