Area responsible for neuroscience errors located

I liked this funny and recursive brain diagram from tech journalist Quinn Norton that makes fun of our tendency to be wowed by brain scans.

The diagram has a good evidence base. A 2008 study found that adding a picture of a brain scan to a scientific argument about human nature made the general public more likely to be believe it even if brain activity wasn’t relevant to the point being made.

Another study published in the same year found that simply adding an irrelevant sentence about the brain had a similar effect.

Thankfully, Norton has now located the brain area responsible for our problem with understanding bogus neuroscience explanations.

Link to recursive brain diagram.