Summary
This research
suggests that the neurotransmitter serotonin plays a critical role in
regulating emotions such as aggression during social decision-making. Serotonin
acts as a chemical messenger between nerve cells. It has long been associated
with social behavior, though its involvement in impulsive aggression has been
controversial.
The study’s
findings highlight why some people may become combative or aggressive when they
have not eaten. The body requires the essential amino acid tryptophan to create
serotonin, which can only be obtained through diet. The researchers reduced
brain serotonin levels in volunteers for a short time by manipulating their
diet and then used a situation known as the 'Ultimatum Game' to investigate how
individuals with low serotonin react to what they perceive as unfair behavior.
In this game, one
player proposes a way to split a sum of money with a partner. If the partner
accepts, both players are paid accordingly. However, if he rejects the offer,
neither player is paid. Normally, people
tend to reject about half of all offers less than 20-30% of the total stake,
despite the fact that this means they receive nothing - but rejection rates
increased to more than 80% after serotonin reductions. Other measures showed
that the volunteers with serotonin depletion were not simply depressed or
hypersensitive to lost rewards.
PhD student Molly
Crockett, a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge Behavioural and
Clinical Neuroscience Institute, said their “results suggest that serotonin
plays a critical role in social decision-making by normally keeping aggressive
social responses in check. Changes in diet and stress cause our serotonin
levels to fluctuate naturally, so it's important to understand how this might
affect our everyday decision-making."
Critique
This study
illustrates how an individual’s serotonin level affects their attitude toward
risk – the lower the level, the higher the likelihood of an individual making a
risky or aggressive decision. This could have large impacts on decisions made
by people in power. Though the study focused on social decision-making, future
research might be able to address the impact of serotonin levels on forecasting
accuracy and important decisions made by executives and policy makers.
The study did not
mention specific foods high in tryptophan, but the author found a medically
reviewed article that suggests eating foods like eggs, cheese, pineapples,
salmon, poultry, and chocolate can boost serotonin levels.
Sources
Crockett, M.J., Clark, L., Tabibnia, G.,
Lieberman, M.D., & Robbins, T.W. (2008). Serotonin modulates behavioral
reactions to unfairness. Science (320) 5884,
1739. doi: 10.1126/science.1155577
7 Foods That Could
Boost Your Serotonin. (2015). Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/foods-that-could-boost-your-serotonin#Overview1
Posts
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ReplyDeleteHank, I like this post. You made it easy to follow and understand. I am curious, however, as to what constitutes "social decision-making" as opposed to "decision-making" in general? What is your take on the topic?
DeleteHank this post was very interesting. It would be very interesting if they took the same study and added sleep deprivation. I know from may own experiences that when you mix both the above and sleep deprivation people become very snappy very quick. I saw a lot of just the food side with wrestling when people would cut weight usually maintaining a light diet of carbs. When it came down to hunger after weigh-ins dairy and protein were the first things targeted, some of which supplies and moderates serotonin levels.
ReplyDeleteHank, I agree that further research needs to be conducted for additional information and results. I like how you presented the study where certain individuals serotonin levels were manipulated to see how their decision making was effected.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHank, I actually played a version of the "Ultimatum Game" in one of my political science classes during my undergrad. I remember people had trouble trusting each other as it was, so I can imagine adding hunger to the mix would only cause people to become more hostile towards each other.
DeleteVery interesting article. It is certainly worth looking into the effects of how pleasure hormones alter cognitive abilities. Are happy analysts BETTER analysts? Sounds like an idea for next week's study..
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