Higher polygenetic risk scores for schizophrenia, depression, neuroticism, and alcohol use disorder are indicators for higher risk of nicotine dependence.
A mother's overwhelming desire to take risks in the face of danger to protect her child, and other nurturing behaviors, are driven by neurons in the cMPOA region of the hypothalamus which contains a protein called the calcitonin receptor.
Why males may be more prone to make more extreme choices, their decisions do not necessarily have a negative outcome.
Researchers conclude the mind of an extremist is marked by a mixture of conservative and dogmatic psychological signatures. Extremists tend to be cognitively cautious, slower at perceptual processing, and have weaker working memory. This is compounded by impulsive personality traits that seek sensation and risky experiences.
Researchers found functional and anatomical differences in the brains of people who are more likely to embark on risky behaviors.
People whose computer mouse drifted toward a safer option on the screen, even when they ultimately decided to select a riskier option, may be more risk avoidant than their choices would indicate.
The popular over-the-counter painkiller acetaminophen increases risk-taking by reducing risk perception, a new study reports.
Areas of the brain associated with socioemotional and cognitive control working in combination at a specific age or point in time, are definitive factors in risk-taking behaviors.
People prefer to play virtual slot machines that provide casino-related cues, such as the sound of coins dropping or symbols of dollar signs. Cues associated with money and winning makes virtual slot machines more attractive and bigger wins more memorable.
In the face of natural disasters, women tend to take the risks far more seriously but have trouble convincing men their concerns are a priority.
A positive correlation has been identified between prosocial and rebellious behaviors in teens. The more risk taking behaviors a teen exhibited, the more likely they were to act prosocially. The findings suggest the same developmental processes are at work for both types of behaviors. Also noted was faster brain development in the medial prefrontal cortex predicted a decrease in rebellious behavior.
Fluctuations in the dopaminergic midbrain play a critical role in risky decision making.
