Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Genetic Disorder Turns Risk-Averse Into Gamblers

The study found that people with a damaged amygdala had a higher inclination to risk losing money as a result of reckless gambling. Alamy

From The Independent:

The brains of people who risk everything when gambling may be wired up differently to those of the naturally cautious, according to a study that appears to have discovered a neurological basis for reckless behaviour.

The research found that people were far more gullible to high-risk gambling when a small but distinct part of their brain had been damaged as a result of a rare genetic disorder. They showed little of the natural aversion to losing something of value that most people are born with.

Read more ....

No comments: