RESUMEN
We examined the effects of anticipatory emotions induced by episodic future thinking on the basic decision-process of delay discounting and preventive behaviors during the most stringent COVID-19 "lockdown" period in China. We define anticipatory emotions as any discrete emotions induced from anticipating decision outcomes and felt during decision-making. In an online study conducted with healthy volunteers, anticipatory emotions were induced and appraised by asking participants to rate various emotions they feel when thinking they may be infected by COVID-19 (N = 246). The participants in the control group reported their present emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic (N = 245). Compared with the control group, the participants in the anticipatory emotion group had a higher future-oriented preference for monetary rewards, with a significantly lower delay discounting rate. These participants also had a higher intention to engage in proactive, preventive behaviors. The likelihood estimate of being infected by COVID-19 mediated these effects. Moreover, anticipatory disgust increased the preference for larger-and-later rewards. Anticipatory emotions induced by future thinking guide fast and rational decision-making in a health crisis.
Asunto(s)
COVID-19 , Descuento por Demora , COVID-19/prevención & control , Emociones , Humanos , Funciones de Verosimilitud , Pandemias , PensamientoRESUMEN
A higher-order function may evolve phylogenetically if it is demanded by multiple domain-specific modules. Task-specificity to solve a unique adaptive problem (e.g., foraging or mating) should be distinguished from function-specificity to deal with a common computational demand (e.g., numeracy, verbal communication) required by many tasks. A localized brain function is likely a result of such common computational demand.
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InteligenciaRESUMEN
We propose that decisions related to resource management (e.g., intertemporal choice between a smaller-and-sooner reward and a larger-and-later reward) are sensitive to and regulated by fluctuating blood glucose levels. Circulating glucose affects intertemporal choice by means of signaling body energy condition instead of serving as a replenishing resource for effortful cognitive processing. We intend to dissociate calorie-supplying functions from glucose-unique anticipatory effects on behavioral resource management, measured by delay discounting in making intertemporal choices. Regarding the anticipatory functions of the glucose-insulin system in regulating the degree of delay discounting, we tested three predictions: First, we predict that the signaling effects of circulating glucose on delay discounting do not need to be dose-dependent as long as glucose fluctuation indicates a directional trend in body energy budget. Second, such effects of glucose fluctuation on delay discounting are phagic (appetite related) instead of dipsian (thirst related). Third, this glucose-insulin signaling system requires glucose as the specific input, thus is insensitive to other forms of sugar that are not insulin regulated. In Study 1, fasting participants were randomly assigned to one of five groups: water consumption, zero-consumption, and three glucose consumption (18g, 36g, and 72g cane sugar/250ml water) groups. The participants competed two sets of intertemporal choice questions with varying delay discounting rates before and after a beverage intervention. The results showed that the rate of delay discounting was negatively correlated to blood glucose levels. The effects of circulating glucose on delay discounting closely followed the changes in blood glucose levels showing a plateau on both dose-response curves (i.e., the sugar dose-blood glucose level curve and the sugar does-delay discounting curve). Secondly, the effects of circulating glucose on delay discounting were significant only in the glucose ingestion group, but not in the zero consumption and the water consumption groups, suggesting that the behavioral effects were in fact related to hunger-reduction instead of thirst-reduction. Study 2 revealed that glucose ingestion, but not water or another form of sugar (xylitol matched to glucose either for sweetness or for calories), reduced delay discounting, making future options more attractive. This result suggests that signaling of body energy budget is indeed glucose-unique. Our results suggest a forecasting mechanism of the glucose-insulin system for both metabolic and behavioral regulations of resource acquisition and allocation.
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Glucemia , Descuento por Demora/fisiología , Recompensa , Transducción de Señal/fisiología , Adulto , Análisis de Varianza , Teorema de Bayes , Femenino , Humanos , Insulina/metabolismo , Masculino , Factores de Tiempo , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Humans routinely deal with both traditional and novel risks. Different kinds of risks have been a driving force for both evolutionary adaptations and personal development. This study explored the genetic and environmental influences on human risk taking in different task domains. Our approach was threefold. First, we integrated several scales of domain-specific risk-taking propensity and developed a synthetic scale, including both evolutionarily typical and modern risks in the following 7 domains: cooperation/competition, safety, reproduction, natural/physical risk, moral risk, financial risk, and gambling. Second, we conducted a twin study using the scale to estimate the contributions of genes and environment to risk taking in each of these 7 domains. Third, we conducted a series of meta-analyses of extant twin studies across the 7 risk domains. The results showed that individual differences in risk-taking propensity and its consistency across domains were mainly regulated by additive genetic influences and individually unique environmental experiences. The heritability estimates from the meta-analyses ranged from 29% in financial risk taking to 55% in safety. Supporting the notion of risk-domain specificity, both the behavioral and genetic correlations among the 7 domains were generally low. Among the relatively few correlations between pairs of risk domains, our analysis revealed a common genetic factor that regulates moral, financial, and natural/physical risk taking. This is the first effort to separate genetic and environmental influences on risk taking across multiple domains in a single study and integrate the findings of extant twin studies via a series of meta-analyses conducted in different task domains. (PsycINFO Database Record