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decision making

·June 27, 2025·5 min read

How the Brain Forms Indirect Associations to Guide Complex Decisions

A new study reveals how the brain can make decisions based not only on direct experiences, but also on indirect associations between seemingly unrelated stimuli. In experiments with mice, researchers showed that a sweet taste could be rejected after it was indirectly linked to an aversive event through a shared scent.

Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·June 26, 2025·4 min read

Smarter Minds Predict Better: IQ Linked to Sharper Life Forecasting

New research reveals that individuals with higher IQs are significantly better at predicting future outcomes, leading to smarter decision-making. Using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, researchers assessed how accurately people over 50 could estimate their own life expectancy. High-IQ individuals were found to make more precise forecasts—errors were less frequent and less extreme compared to their lower-IQ counterparts.

This shows a brain behind a mountain and balls.

Featured Neuroscience

·June 25, 2025·5 min read

How Brain Cells Coordinate to Make Complex Decisions

Every decision begins subtly, as the brain weighs options long before action. Researchers have now shown that, despite individual differences in neuron activity, a shared underlying structure guides the brain toward unified decisions.

$This shows a woman and math symbols.$

Featured Neuroscience

·May 20, 2025·4 min read

Modeling Human Behavior with Math

A new study shows that mathematical models can shape human decisions more effectively than traditional psychological strategies. Researchers introduced “choice engineering,” a data-driven alternative to “choice architecture,” which relies on heuristics and intuition. In a global academic challenge, models like CATIE—designed to reflect real behavioral trends—outperformed both intuitive strategies and standard machine learning tools.

Featured Neuroethics Neuroscience

·May 6, 2025·3 min read

Bodily Awareness Guides Moral Decision-Making

New research shows that people’s sensitivity to their internal bodily signals influences how closely they align with group moral preferences in dilemmas. Participants who were more aware of their heartbeat and internal states tended to make ethical choices that matched the group consensus.

This shows a brain and a person at a cross roads.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 25, 2025·6 min read

Serotonin Neurons Challenge Old Views of Brain Function

Serotonin neurons in the brainstem are not independent, as once thought, but interact to influence decision-making. Researchers found that clusters of serotonin neurons compete and collaborate, shaping when and how serotonin is released throughout the brain.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 17, 2025·5 min read

Natural Disaster Trauma Disrupts Brain’s Decision Circuits

Survivors of the 2018 Camp Fire in California exhibit long-term cognitive changes, particularly in decision-making. Participants directly exposed to the wildfire showed reduced ability to choose long-term rewards and displayed hyperactivity in brain regions tied to rumination.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 15, 2025·5 min read

Mild Brain Stimulation Alters Decision-Making Speed and Flexibility

A new study shows that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive brain stimulation method, can influence how quickly and flexibly people make decisions. Researchers targeted the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—key in planning and action—while participants performed simultaneous visual and auditory tasks.

This shows two people shopping and brains.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·April 8, 2025·4 min read

Brain Scans Reveal Political Leanings During Grocery Shopping

Researchers have discovered that people’s political affiliation can be identified with nearly 80% accuracy based on brain activity while making routine decisions like buying milk and eggs. Although actual purchasing choices did not differ between Democrats and Republicans, the underlying neural patterns diverged significantly.

Featured Neuroscience

·April 1, 2025·6 min read

AI Thinks Like Us: Flaws, Biases, and All, Study Finds

A new study finds that ChatGPT, while excellent at logic and math, exhibits many of the same cognitive biases as humans when making subjective decisions. In tests for common judgment errors, the AI showed overconfidence, risk aversion, and even the classic gambler’s fallacy, though it avoided other typical human mistakes like base-rate neglect.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·March 5, 2025·4 min read

Anxiety and Apathy Affect Decision-Making in Opposite Ways

A new study reveals that anxiety and apathy lead to fundamentally different patterns in decision-making under uncertainty. Anxious individuals perceive their environment as highly volatile, leading them to explore more options, especially after negative outcomes.

This shows a person drinking and a brain.

Featured Neuroscience

·March 4, 2025·6 min read

Future Thinking Training Reduces Impulsivity

A new study finds that training people to think about specific future events can reduce impulsivity and improve decision-making. Researchers used fMRI scans to show that practicing episodic future thinking increased connectivity in key brain regions, making participants less likely to choose immediate rewards over long-term benefits.

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decision making

How the Brain Forms Indirect Associations to Guide Complex Decisions

Smarter Minds Predict Better: IQ Linked to Sharper Life Forecasting

How Brain Cells Coordinate to Make Complex Decisions

Modeling Human Behavior with Math

Bodily Awareness Guides Moral Decision-Making

Serotonin Neurons Challenge Old Views of Brain Function

Natural Disaster Trauma Disrupts Brain’s Decision Circuits

Mild Brain Stimulation Alters Decision-Making Speed and Flexibility

Brain Scans Reveal Political Leanings During Grocery Shopping

AI Thinks Like Us: Flaws, Biases, and All, Study Finds

Anxiety and Apathy Affect Decision-Making in Opposite Ways

Future Thinking Training Reduces Impulsivity

Gene Key to MS Immune Regulation Discovered

Maternal Depression Linked to Weaker Bonds

Study Challenges Link Between Football and Brain Protein Buildup

Spotting Silent Scars: A New Way to Detect Childhood Abuse

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