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“Extended Attachment” and the Human Brain: Internalized Cultural Values and Evolutionary Implications

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The Moral Brain

In the present essay we propose that an extended form of attachment is an important ingredient of human cooperation. The neural implementation of such ability will be articulated within a general framework for the neurobiological basis of human moral cognition (Moll, Zahn, Oliveira-Souza, Krueger, & Grafman, 2005), which is here extended to human affiliative behaviors in cultural contexts. More specifically, we postulate that ancient mechanisms supporting basic forms of attachment in other species, such as pair-bonding (Insel & Young, 2001), evolved to enable the unique human ability to attach to cultural objects and abstract ideas. This form of attachment, here referred to as “extended attachment”, might have played a major role in cooperation and indirect reciprocity during evolution, promoting altruistic behaviors within socio-cultural groups and facilitating out-group moralistic aggression.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Unit, Neuroscience Center LABS-D’Or Hospital Network Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Jorge Moll

  2. Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience Unit, labs-D’Or Hospital Network and Gaffrée e Guinle University Hospital Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza

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  1. Jorge Moll
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  2. Ricardo de Oliveira-Souza
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Correspondence to Jorge Moll .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ghent University, Blandijnberg 2, Gent, 9000, Belgium

    Jan Verplaetse

  2. Ghent University, Blandijnberg 2, Gent, 9000, Belgium

    Jelle Schrijver

  3. Dept. Neurosurgery, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, Edegem, 2650, Belgium

    Sven Vanneste

  4. Ghent University, Blandijnberg 2, Gent, 9000, Belgium

    Johan Braeckman

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Moll, J., de Oliveira-Souza, R. (2009). “Extended Attachment” and the Human Brain: Internalized Cultural Values and Evolutionary Implications. In: Verplaetse, J., Schrijver, J., Vanneste, S., Braeckman, J. (eds) The Moral Brain. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6287-2_3

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