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Genes and Human Decision-Making

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Neuroeconomics

Abstract

The present chapter aims to give a concise overview of the genetics of human decision-making. The focus will be on studies that can be considered within the field of neuroeconomics. Although genetic studies in neuroeconomics are scarce to date, interest in and use of, genetic designs is increasing. This popularity is based on the huge potential of genetic research. The collection of data is more naturalistic as it is not restricted to the laboratory, and genes convey information on brain metabolism relevant to decision-making. The widespread belief, that genetic information is already determined before birth and therefore, is not subject to influence or change over the lifespan, has recently been revised. The young discipline of epigenetics has shown that environmental factors can influence the activity of genes throughout life. Therefore, investigating the interaction between genes and environment on a behavioral, as well as a, molecular level is a promising direction for research. The empirical neuroeconomics studies published to date have adopted a candidate gene approach. This means researchers have identified theory-driven, distinct gene loci relevant for decision-making in economic contexts, from the literature. These pioneer studies are reviewed and discussed below. For those readers who are not familiar with molecular genetics, we recommend the chapter on genetics contained in the methods section of this book as a complementary introduction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Martin Reuter

  2. Center for Economics and Neuroscience (CENs), University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Martin Reuter

  3. Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute for Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany

    Christian Montag

  4. Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, Center for Information in Medicine, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China

    Christian Montag

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Correspondence to Martin Reuter .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Differentielle and Biologische Psychologie, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms- Universität Bonn, Bonn, Germany

    Martin Reuter

  2. Department of Molecular Psychology, Institute for Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany and Key Laboratory for NeuroInformation, School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China

    Christian Montag

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Reuter, M., Montag, C. (2016). Genes and Human Decision-Making. In: Reuter, M., Montag, C. (eds) Neuroeconomics. Studies in Neuroscience, Psychology and Behavioral Economics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35923-1_4

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