The psychophysiological experience of solving moral dilemmas together: An interdisciplinary comparison between participants with and without depression

Dyads with a depressed and a non-depressed participant (N = 15) and two nondepressed participants (N = 15) discussed a moral dilemma, during which the
participants’ gaze direction and skin conductance (SC) were measured. Partner gazing occurred most frequently when a speaker took a strong stance toward saving a person in the dilemma, depressed participants however looking at their co-participants less often than non-depressed participants. The participants’ SC response rates were higher during responsive utterances expressing disagreement (vs. agreement) with co-participant ideas or suggesting that a person be sacrificed (vs. saved). We argue that a better understanding of the affective corollaries of human social interaction necessitates a balanced consideration of both contents of talk and behavioral patterns.