Until now, researchers could not say whether our
tendency to make fewer risky decisions as we age was due to the wisdom
of growing older, or our brain structures.
The University of Sydney's Dr. Agnieszka Tymula
has for years been studying the factors that influence human
decision-making. The findings suggest that our brain's changing structure, not simply getting older and wiser,
most affects our attitudes to risk.
Newly Identified Neural Circuits Involved in Making Risky Decisions
A brain region involved in decisions made under conditions of uncertainty has been identified by researchers.
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‘Our attitudes to take risks is better explained by changes in grey matter volume in an area in the brain's right posterior parietal cortex, rather than by age itself.’
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Published in Nature Communications this week, Dr. Tymula and her co-authors from New York University, Yale University, University College London and Trinity College show risk aversion is better explained by changes in grey matter volume in an area in the brain's right posterior parietal cortex, rather than by age itself.
"We know that as people age, they tend to become more averse to
taking risks," said Dr. Tymula. "Yet, it seems there is something to the
saying that everybody ages at a different pace. Our research suggests
the speed at which our brain's structure changes has a greater impact on
our tolerance of risk than chronological age."
![Gamblers Think Like Pigeons While Making Risky Decisions]( "Gamblers Think Like Pigeons While Making Risky Decisions")
Gamblers' and pigeons' brain works in a similar way, while making risky decisions, claims a new study.
In an experiment, the researchers asked more than 50 adults aged 18 to 88 to make choices between a guaranteed gain of $5 or ambiguous and risky lotteries with a payout of up to $120. Older participants preferred the guaranteed option, compared to younger participants.
Surprisingly, when researchers put these data into a model to determine what best predicted this change in preference, they found it was primarily driven by the neuronal density - the thickness and thinness of grey matter - in this brain region, rather than by age.
The results are published in the high-impact journal, Nature Communications.
"Globally, we are experiencing an unprecedented demographic shift with people over 60 expected to outnumber children in only 30 years. Understanding how such a shift will affect decisions made in our societies on a political and economic level will be hugely important," said Dr. Tymula.
"When we choose our life partners, make a bet with a colleague, invest in a stock or vote in presidential elections, we cannot predict with certainty how these decisions will affect us and others. Understanding the brain's structure can help us predict how our own and others' decisions will change as our brain ages."
Source: Eurekalert
Gamblers Think Like Pigeons While Making Risky Decisions
Gamblers' and pigeons' brain works in a similar way, while making risky decisions, claims a new study.
Advertisement
In an experiment, the researchers asked more than 50 adults aged 18 to 88 to make choices between a guaranteed gain of $5 or ambiguous and risky lotteries with a payout of up to $120. Older participants preferred the guaranteed option, compared to younger participants.
Surprisingly, when researchers put these data into a model to determine what best predicted this change in preference, they found it was primarily driven by the neuronal density - the thickness and thinness of grey matter - in this brain region, rather than by age.
The results are published in the high-impact journal, Nature Communications.
"Globally, we are experiencing an unprecedented demographic shift with people over 60 expected to outnumber children in only 30 years. Understanding how such a shift will affect decisions made in our societies on a political and economic level will be hugely important," said Dr. Tymula.
"When we choose our life partners, make a bet with a colleague, invest in a stock or vote in presidential elections, we cannot predict with certainty how these decisions will affect us and others. Understanding the brain's structure can help us predict how our own and others' decisions will change as our brain ages."
Source: Eurekalert
Decision Skills Have More to Do With Cognitive Ability Than Age
According to researchers at Duke University, age doesn't count in making risky decisions.
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 Gamblers are Greedy Bird-Brains: ResearchGamblers show the same tendencies as pigeons when they make risky decisions, reveals a research by University of Warwick, claiming that gamblers are greedy bird-brains. | Advertisement
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