Home / Science / Brain Shocks Temporarily Reduce Sexism Bias
Brain Shocks Temporarily Reduce Sexism Bias
26 Oct
Summary
- Mild electrical brain shocks briefly changed bias towards women.
- Stimulation improved recognition of upright sexualized female images.
- Study offers insights into how objectification works.
Mild electrical brain stimulation has shown potential in temporarily altering perceptions of sexualised images, according to research from the University of Exeter. The study, involving 76 students, found that a 10-minute application of a mild electrical current to the scalp could improve participants' ability to recognise upright images of sexualised women.
This brain stimulation technique also diminished the difference in how male and female participants processed images of men and women. Researchers noted that while this is not a cure for sexism, it provides a novel method for understanding the visual processing of objectification. The findings suggest biases may lie in image processing rather than the images themselves.
Earlier efforts to reduce objectification bias involved altering images or viewer perspectives. This study uniquely employed electrical stimulation to directly influence the brain's visual processing. Further research is needed to determine if these perceptual changes translate to real-world attitudes and behaviours.
