When others got more than you: How unequal rewards make us see their value

It's always pleasant to get a reward, but it instantly becomes less satisfying when you know that someone else has a better one.

Researchers from the National Institute for Physiological Sciences (NIPS) have identified a brain circuit crucial for determining the value of personal rewards in relation to others' rewards. 

Let's find out more!

A study on rewards and their value

A recent study in Nature Communications delves into the intricate process of socially subjective reward valuation. 

The study focuses on the connection between the medial prefrontal cortex and the lateral hypothalamus, key brain regions responsible for this process. 

Using a method called DREADD, researchers temporarily disrupted these connections in macaque monkeys. 

During tests where monkeys expected rewards for themselves or their companions, the disconnection had a significant impact on the monkeys' reactions to others' rewards but not their own. 

It might be helpful in the future

This research offers insights into social behaviors, potentially aiding in the diagnosis and treatment of brain injuries or alterations involving these brain regions.
 

• Related news:
• research
• reward
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• 8 August 2023

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