Abstract
BackgroundThe psychological and neurobiological processes underlying moral judgment have been the focus of extensive recent research. Here we show that serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) genotype predicts responses to moral dilemmas featuring foreseen harm to an innocent.Methodology/Principal FindingsParticipants in this study judged the acceptability of actions that would unintentionally or intentionally harm an innocent victim in order to save others' lives. An analysis of variance revealed a genotype × scenario interaction, F(2, 63) = 4.52, p = .02. Results showed that, relative to long allele homozygotes (LL), carriers of the short (S) allele showed particular reluctance to endorse utilitarian actions resulting in foreseen harm to an innocent individual. LL genotype participants rated perpetrating unintentional harm as more acceptable (M = 4.98, SEM = 0.20) than did SL genotype participants (M = 4.65, SEM = 0.20) or SS genotype participants (M = 4.29, SEM = 0.30). No group differences in moral judgments were observed in response to scenarios featuring intentional harm.Conclusions/SignificanceThe results indicate that inherited variants in a genetic polymorphism that influences serotonin neurotransmission influence utilitarian moral judgments as well. This finding is interpreted in light of evidence that the S allele is associated with elevated emotional responsiveness.
Highlights
Judging moral dilemmas typically requires weighing the relative merits of two mutually exclusive outcomes, such as choosing to save many lives even if doing so requires the death of an innocent person
Conclusions/Significance: The results indicate that inherited variants in a genetic polymorphism that influences serotonin neurotransmission influence utilitarian moral judgments as well
Foreseen harm to an innocent victim was judged to be more acceptable than morally neutral actions by homozyogous L-carriers, t(21) = 4.24, p,.001, and heterozygotes, t(29) = 2.14, p =
Summary
Judging moral dilemmas typically requires weighing the relative merits of two mutually exclusive outcomes, such as choosing to save many lives even if doing so requires the death of an innocent person. We assessed whether genetic variants associated with serotonergic function predict responses to moral dilemmas featuring foreseen and intentional harm. As is true for actual moral dilemmas, judging moral dilemmas in the laboratory frequently requires weighing alternate outcomes, such as choosing to save many lives by allowing an innocent victim to die. Saving more lives is the more utilitarian option, but the prospect of causing harm to an innocent individual may generate a strong emotional response [3]. We show that serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) genotype predicts responses to moral dilemmas featuring foreseen harm to an innocent
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