The human brain can immediately tell whether someone is being intentionally or accidentally harmed.

Adults taking part in the study watched videos of people being harmed on purpose and on accident. When it was intentional harm, a particular part of the brain – the right posterior superior temporal sulcus – had an instant response. There was no response in this part of the brain when the harm was unintentional.

This response is linked to the portion of the brain that governs moral decisions, suggesting it may be part of how we shape our sense of morality.