How are some people able to commit horrible crimes like serial killings—and actually enjoy doing this? It all comes down to the old-fashioned concept of empathy—the ability to put ourselves in someone else's shoes. At one time, scientists didn't understand how ANYONE was able to do this. Psychologists have identified people they’ve labeled "sociopaths," who do not have a conscience and are unable to imagine how other people feel. We know these people are made, not born, usually by extensive abuse in early childhood. But how did the rest of us avoid this sad fate? The answer could be mirror neurons. In 1996, scientists probing the part of a monkey's brain that controls movement noticed that these cells fired not only when the monkey performed a task, but also when it saw the same task performed by another monkey, or a human being (monkeys are great imitators). Since these cells reflected the actions that the monkey observed others doing, they became known as "mirror neurons." We humans have mirror neurons as well, and their absence can lead to mental illness and autism. We recently posted an article showing that autism is a result of a form of heavy metal poisoning. Autistic children have a genetic defect that makes them especially vulnerable to this type of pollution, which has come to define modern life, since it is given off in auto exhausts and power plant emissions. Neurologists have long realized that autism must be a result of something relatively new in the environment, since it's not a condition that was described anywhere in the past. It could be that heavy metal poisoning disrupts the action of the mirror neurons in our brains.

Dr. Martha Stout has written an important new book about this subject called "The Sociopath Next Door." She postulates that it’s not only criminals who don't have a conscience—many CEOs and politicians may be people sociopaths as well, who do not have the ability to empathize with others.

and there r so many people who just plain simple ignore their conscience:(

No idea, but swetha said it correctly some (or i should say most these days) ppl, never hear to their Conscience.

i dont mean to be a hypocrite..but sometimes i myself hide my real intentions in doing some stuf.. i do feel bad.. but i dont " mind " doing it. thats what worries me knowing that i know what i am doing is not right but stil doing it!

Nowadays we do many things to survive in this modern society that overcomes our Conscience.