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News | Dec. 2, 2019

Scott Atran's new article on "This is Your Brain on Terrorism: The Science Behind a Death Wish"

By Scott Atran

In a series of behavioral studies of frontline combatants in Iraq and brain imaging studies of self-identified extremist in Spain, research teams found that those who are most willing to make costly sacrifices, including fighting and dying, were motivated by sacred values and shunned deliberative reasoning.

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Associated Minerva Project:
Dynamics of Sacred Values and Social Responsibilities in Governance and Conflict Management: The Interplay between Leaders, Devoted Actor Networks, General Populations, and Time