Psychologists discover how we read people's minds

Most humans can detect when someone is lying or joking even though this is not directly visible and can adjust their behaviour accordingly, however in people with brain injury, for example stroke survivors, the ability to ascertain someone's beliefs can be damaged.

Researchers have discovered that a part of the brain called the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) is pivotal to this function.  The TPJ, located at the back of the brain, has previously received little attention in studies involving reasoning as most research in this area has concentrated on the roles of the frontal lobes.

Dr Ian Apperly, one of the investigators on the project, says, 'The immediate clinical impact of our findings is to bring out the often overlooked link between the TPJ and social reasoning and thereby raising awareness amongst those involved in the diagnosis and rehabilitation of brain-damaged patients that social reasoning is not only impaired following frontal lobe damage.' 

The psychologists will now be looking at how accurately patients can understand other mental states, such as emotions, desires or knowledge in other people or in themselves and whether the temporoparietal junction is specific to social reasoning or has more general reasoning functions. http://www.bham.ac.uk