Gut check: reappraisal of disgust helps explain liberal-conservative differences on issues of purity.

Disgust plays an important role in conservatives' moral and political judgments, helping to explain why conservatives and liberals differ in their attitudes on issues related to purity. We examined the extent to which the emotion-regulation strategy reappraisal drives the disgust-conservatism relationship. We hypothesized that disgust has less influence on the political and moral judgments of liberals because they tend to regulate disgust reactions through emotional reappraisal more than conservatives. Study 1a found that a greater tendency to reappraise disgust was negatively associated with conservatism, independent of disgust sensitivity. Study 1b replicated this finding, demonstrating that the effect of reappraisal is unique to disgust. In Study 2, liberals condemned a disgusting act less than conservatives, and did so to the extent that they reappraised their initial disgust response. Study 3 manipulated participants' use of reappraisal when exposed to a video of men kissing. Conservatives instructed to reappraise their emotional reactions subsequently expressed more support for same-sex marriage than conservatives in the control condition, demonstrating attitudes statistically equivalent to liberal participants.

Liberating reason from the passions: overriding intuitionist moral judgments through emotion reappraisal.

A classic problem in moral psychology concerns whether and when moral judgments are driven by intuition versus deliberate reasoning. In this investigation, we explored the role of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that involves construing an emotion-eliciting situation in a way that diminishes the intensity of the emotional experience. We hypothesized that although emotional reactions evoke initial moral intuitions, reappraisal weakens the influence of these intuitions, leading to more deliberative moral judgments. Three studies of moral judgments in emotionally evocative, disgust-eliciting moral dilemmas supported our hypothesis. A greater tendency to reappraise was related to fewer intuition-based judgments (Study 1). Content analysis of open-ended descriptions of moral-reasoning processes revealed that reappraisal was associated with longer time spent in deliberation and with fewer intuitionist moral judgments (Study 2). Finally, in comparison with participants who simply watched an emotion-inducing film, participants who had been instructed to reappraise their reactions while watching the film subsequently reported less intense emotional reactions to moral dilemmas, and these dampened reactions led, in turn, to fewer intuitionist moral judgments (Study 3).

An fMRI study of caring vs self-focus during induced compassion and pride.

This study examined neural activation during the experience of compassion, an emotion that orients people toward vulnerable others and prompts caregiving, and pride, a self-focused emotion that signals individual strength and heightened status. Functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI) were acquired as participants viewed 55 s continuous sequences of slides to induce either compassion or pride, presented in alternation with sequences of neutral slides. Emotion self-report data were collected after each slide condition within the fMRI scanner. Compassion induction was associated with activation in the midbrain periaqueductal gray (PAG), a region that is activated during pain and the perception of others' pain, and that has been implicated in parental nurturance behaviors. Pride induction engaged the posterior medial cortex, a region that has been associated with self-referent processing. Self-reports of compassion experience were correlated with increased activation in a region near the PAG, and in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). Self-reports of pride experience, in contrast, were correlated with reduced activation in the IFG and the anterior insula. These results provide preliminary evidence towards understanding the neural correlates of important interpersonal dimensions of compassion and pride. Caring (compassion) and self-focus (pride) may represent core appraisals that differentiate the response profiles of many emotions.

Evaluación del estado nutricional del calcio en relación con la salud bucal y el índica de masa corporal / Calcium nutritional status in relation with oral health and body mass index

INTRODUCCION: La diferencia de calcio y vitamina D es muy habitual a nivel nacional e internacional. Sin embargo, los datos de su relación con la salud bucal y el índice de masa corporal (IMC) son escasos o inexistentes.OBJETIVO: Evaluar el estado nutricional del calcio (Ca) y de la vitamina D, y su relación con el IMC y la salud bucal.METODOS: El estudio se llevó a cabo en alumnos universitarios de la carrera de Nutrición (Universidad Isalud, Buenos Aires), con una población de 65 estudiantes sanos (15 varones y 50 mujeres) de 20 a 30 años. Se realizó una encuesta nutricional, se extrajo sangre en ayunas y la segunda orina de la mañana (basal). Asimismo, se efectuó un examen bucodental y una densitometría ósea de esqueleto total por DXA (Lunar).RESULTADOS: El IMC promedio fue de 20,7 ± 4,2 para mujeres y 23,5 ± 2,8 para hombres. El 100% del grupo presentó una densidad mineral ósea normal, con un T-Score > -2,5. Sólo el 19% y el 15% de mujeres y hombres, respectivamente, mostraron ingestas de calcio (ICa) igual o superior a las recomendadas. El 34% de mujeres y el 20% de hombres presentaron niveles de 25 hidroxivitamina D (25 OHD) considerados adecuados (> 30 ng/mL). El diagnóstico clínico bucodental mostró que el 100% de los estudiantes presentaba gingivitis marginal crónica asociada a placa. Un 61% de mujeres y un 82% de hombres tenían momentos de azúcar > 4, lo cual se encuentra asociado al aumento en el riesgo de caries. También se observó una pérdida parcial de piezas dentarias en el 29% de mujeres y el 45% de hombres.CONCLUSIONES: Existe una alta deficiencia de vitamina D y un bajo consumo de Ca, que pueden afectar enormemente el futuro estado del esqueleto y la salud bucodental. Una adecuada educación nutricional ayudaría a mejorar el estado nutricional de los individuos y su calidad de vida, hecho que en definitiva redundaría en beneficios en los costos de Salud Pública.

INTRODUCTION: Calcium (Ca) and Vitamin D deficiencies are widespread throughout the world. However, studies about their relationship with oral health and body mass index (BMI) are scarce or do not exist.OBJECTIVE: Assess nutritional status of Ca and vitamin D and their relationship with oral health and BMI.METHODS: The study was performed with 65 healthy students from the School of Nutrition at Isalud University, Buenos Aires (15 men and 50 women, 20- to 30-year-old). Weekly consumption-frequency and dietary practices were recorded. Blood and 2-hour-urine samples were obtained in a fasting state. Dental-oral status and total skeletal bone mineral densitometry (BMD) by DXA were assessed.RESULTS: The body mass index (BMI) was 20.7 ± 4.2 for women and 23.5 ± 2.8 for men. 100% of the students presented a normal bone mineral density with a T-score > 2.5. Only 19% of woman and 15% of men covered the recommended Ca intake. 34% of women and 20% of men presented vitamind D recommended nutritional values (>30 ng/mL). Oral diagnosis showed 100% of the students had chronic gingivitis; 61% and 82% of women and men respectively had high consumption of sugar > 4 with a high caries probability association. 29% of women and 45% of men had a partial tooth loss.CONCLUSIONS: There is a high vitamin D and Ca intake deficiency that could affect the skeleton status and oral health in the future. Adequate nutrition education would help to improve the nutritional status of individuals and their quality of life, a fact that ultimately result in cost benefits of Public Health.

Evaluación del estado nutricional del calcio en relación con la salud bucal y el índica de masa corporal / Calcium nutritional status in relation with oral health and body mass index

INTRODUCCION: La diferencia de calcio y vitamina D es muy habitual a nivel nacional e internacional. Sin embargo, los datos de su relación con la salud bucal y el índice de masa corporal (IMC) son escasos o inexistentes.OBJETIVO: Evaluar el estado nutricional del calcio (Ca) y de la vitamina D, y su relación con el IMC y la salud bucal.METODOS: El estudio se llevó a cabo en alumnos universitarios de la carrera de Nutrición (Universidad Isalud, Buenos Aires), con una población de 65 estudiantes sanos (15 varones y 50 mujeres) de 20 a 30 años. Se realizó una encuesta nutricional, se extrajo sangre en ayunas y la segunda orina de la mañana (basal). Asimismo, se efectuó un examen bucodental y una densitometría ósea de esqueleto total por DXA (Lunar).RESULTADOS: El IMC promedio fue de 20,7 ± 4,2 para mujeres y 23,5 ± 2,8 para hombres. El 100% del grupo presentó una densidad mineral ósea normal, con un T-Score > -2,5. Sólo el 19% y el 15% de mujeres y hombres, respectivamente, mostraron ingestas de calcio (ICa) igual o superior a las recomendadas. El 34% de mujeres y el 20% de hombres presentaron niveles de 25 hidroxivitamina D (25 OHD) considerados adecuados (> 30 ng/mL). El diagnóstico clínico bucodental mostró que el 100% de los estudiantes presentaba gingivitis marginal crónica asociada a placa. Un 61% de mujeres y un 82% de hombres tenían momentos de azúcar > 4, lo cual se encuentra asociado al aumento en el riesgo de caries. También se observó una pérdida parcial de piezas dentarias en el 29% de mujeres y el 45% de hombres.CONCLUSIONES: Existe una alta deficiencia de vitamina D y un bajo consumo de Ca, que pueden afectar enormemente el futuro estado del esqueleto y la salud bucodental. Una adecuada educación nutricional ayudaría a mejorar el estado nutricional de los individuos y su calidad de vida, hecho que en definitiva redundaría en beneficios en los costos de Salud Pública.

INTRODUCTION: Calcium (Ca) and Vitamin D deficiencies are widespread throughout the world. However, studies about their relationship with oral health and body mass index (BMI) are scarce or do not exist.OBJECTIVE: Assess nutritional status of Ca and vitamin D and their relationship with oral health and BMI.METHODS: The study was performed with 65 healthy students from the School of Nutrition at Isalud University, Buenos Aires (15 men and 50 women, 20- to 30-year-old). Weekly consumption-frequency and dietary practices were recorded. Blood and 2-hour-urine samples were obtained in a fasting state. Dental-oral status and total skeletal bone mineral densitometry (BMD) by DXA were assessed.RESULTS: The body mass index (BMI) was 20.7 ± 4.2 for women and 23.5 ± 2.8 for men. 100% of the students presented a normal bone mineral density with a T-score > 2.5. Only 19% of woman and 15% of men covered the recommended Ca intake. 34% of women and 20% of men presented vitamind D recommended nutritional values (>30 ng/mL). Oral diagnosis showed 100% of the students had chronic gingivitis; 61% and 82% of women and men respectively had high consumption of sugar > 4 with a high caries probability association. 29% of women and 45% of men had a partial tooth loss.CONCLUSIONS: There is a high vitamin D and Ca intake deficiency that could affect the skeleton status and oral health in the future. Adequate nutrition education would help to improve the nutritional status of individuals and their quality of life, a fact that ultimately result in cost benefits of Public Health.

Disparities in the moral intuitions of criminal offenders: The role of psychopathy.

The present study examined whether and in what ways psychopathy is associated with abnormal moral intuitions among criminal offenders. Using Haidt et al.'s Moral Foundations Questionnaire, 222 adult male offenders assessed for clinical psychopathy reported their degree of support for five moral domains: Harm Prevention, Fairness, Respect for Authority, Ingroup Loyalty, and Purity/Sanctity. As predicted, psychopathy total score explained a substantial proportion of the variance in reduced support for Harm Prevention and Fairness, but not the other domains. These results confirm that psychopathy entails a discrete set of moral abnormalities and suggest that these abnormalities could potentially help to explain the characteristic antisocial behavior of individuals with psychopathy.

A functional imaging investigation of moral deliberation and moral intuition.

Prior functional imaging studies of moral processing have utilized 'explicit' moral tasks that involve moral deliberation (e.g., reading statements such as 'he shot the victim' and rating the moral appropriateness of the behavior) or 'implicit' moral tasks that involve moral intuition (e.g., reading similar statements and memorizing them for a test but not rating their moral appropriateness). Although the neural mechanisms underlying moral deliberation and moral intuition may differ, these have not been directly compared. Studies using explicit moral tasks have reported increased activity in several regions, most consistently the medial prefrontal cortex and temporo-parietal junction. In the few studies that have utilized implicit moral tasks, medial prefrontal activity has been less consistent, suggesting the medial prefrontal cortex is more critical for moral deliberation than moral intuition. Thus, we hypothesized that medial prefrontal activity would be increased during an explicit, but not an implicit, moral task. Participants (n=28) were scanned using fMRI while viewing 50 unpleasant pictures, half of which depicted moral violations. Half of the participants rated pictures on moral violation severity (explicit task) while the other half indicated whether pictures occurred indoors or outdoors (implicit task). As predicted, participants performing the explicit, but not the implicit, task showed increased ventromedial prefrontal activity while viewing moral pictures. Both groups showed increased temporo-parietal junction activity while viewing moral pictures. These results suggest that the ventromedial prefrontal cortex may contribute more to moral deliberation than moral intuition, whereas the temporo-parietal junction may contribute more to moral intuition than moral deliberation.

Gender differences in neural mechanisms underlying moral sensitivity.

Researchers have proposed that females and males differ in the structure of their moral attitudes, such that females tend to adopt care-based moral evaluations and males tend to adopt justice-based moral evaluations. The existence of these gender differences remains a controversial issue, as behavioral studies have reported mixed findings. The current study investigated the neural correlates of moral sensitivity in females and males, to test the hypothesis that females would show increased activity in brain regions associated with care-based processing (posterior and anterior cingulate, anterior insula) relative to males when evaluating moral stimuli, and males would show increased activity in regions associated with justice-based processing (superior temporal sulcus) relative to females. Twenty-eight participants (14 females) were scanned using fMRI while viewing unpleasant pictures, half of which depicted moral violations, and rated each picture on the degree of moral violation that they judged to be present. As predicted, females showed a stronger modulatory relationship between posterior cingulate and insula activity during picture viewing and subsequent moral ratings relative to males. Males showed a stronger modulatory relationship between inferior parietal activity and moral ratings relative to females. These results are suggestive of gender differences in strategies utilized in moral appraisals.