Golnaz Tabibnia
Postdoctoral Fellow, Social Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory
golnaz@ucla.edu
Abstract
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Neuroeconomics and Well-Being
Behavioral economists,
psychologists, and neuroscientists have independently studied human
welfare for decades, using behavioral, self-report, and
neurobiological measures to identify what people want and like.
However, not until recently have the three disciplines combined their
methodologies, in the emerging field of neuroeconomics, to obtain a
more comprehensive understanding of personal choice and well-being. I
review some of these studies demonstrating that humans find
pleasurable not just the material things needed for basic survival,
but also some more abstract social experiences like being treated
fairly and cooperating with and trusting others. These studies show
that the same reward regions of the brain that respond to chocolate
and money also respond to social connectedness. However, it is not the
case that experiences activating this reward circuitry are necessarily
good for our long-term well-being. For example, this same reward
circuitry also gets activated in response to addictive drugs and
drug-related cues. I will discuss the general implications of these
findings for well-being and ways in which we should exercise caution
when interpreting neuroscientific data.
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