Mood fluctuations shift cost-benefit tradeoffs in economic decisions.

ABSTRACT: Mood effects on economic choice seem blatantly irrational, but might rise from mechanisms adapted to natural environments. We have proposed a theory in which mood helps adapting the behaviour to statistical dependencies in the environment, by biasing the expected value of foraging actions (which involve taking risk, spending time and making effort to get more reward). Here, we tested the existence of this mechanism, using an established mood induction paradigm combined with independent economic choices that opposed small but uncostly rewards to larger but costly rewards (involving either risk, delay or effort). To maximise the sensitivity to mood fluctuations, we developed an algorithm ensuring that choice options were continuously adjusted to subjective indifference points. In 102 partici

SUBMITTER: Heerema R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10598198 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature