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History Can Help Us Understand Organ Transplant Personality Changes, Says Expert
Key Excerpts from Article on Website of Science Alert
Posted: November 16th, 2025
https://www.sciencealert.com/history-can-help-us-understand-...
From vegetarians craving meat to changes in sexual preference, some organ transplant patients report changes to their personality reflecting those of the organ donor. A 2024 study claims to challenge "conventional views of memory and identity" by suggesting organs carry memories and emotions and that the findings raise "ethical and philosophical questions" about transplantation. For decades, researchers have studied whether memories and emotions could linger in the heart, and histories of medicine and emotion show why the question is important. In 2010, I wrote Matters of the Heart: History, Medicine, and Emotion, a history of the emotional, physical and spiritual significance of the heart. My research shows that, before the emergence of scientific medicine, the heart was considered the centre of emotion and memory. Memory and emotions are not merely biological phenomena, but driven by environments, experiences and relationships. They, like beliefs about the heart, are informed by cultural contexts. In Thailand or Japan, for instance, there is more pronounced medical interest in the spiritual heart – Japan wouldn't recognise brain death until 1985 for this reason. So, cross-cultural comparisons are needed to understand how far narratives of memory transfer in heart transplantation are universal. One bride-to-be found her father's heart recipient because she wanted him to walk her down the aisle.
Note: Read our latest Substack, How Consciousness Research Can Help Heal a Divided World to learn more about the mysterious phenomena of organ transplant personality changes. Explore more positive stories like this on near-death experiences and the mysterious nature of reality.
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