Abstract
Risk preference, the preference for risky choices over safe alternatives, has a great impact on many fields, such as physical health, sexual safety and financial decision making. Ample behavioral research has attested that inadequate self-control can give rise to high risk preference. However, little is known about the neural substrates underlying the effect of self-control on risk preference. To address this issue, we combined voxel-based morphometry (VBM) with resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) analyses to explore the neural basis underlying the effect of self-control on risk preference across two independent samples. In sample 1 (99 participants; 47 males; 20.37 ± 1.63 years), the behavioral results indicated that the scores of self-control were significantly and negatively correlated with risk preference (indexed by gambling rate). The VBM analyses demonstrated that the higher risk preference was correlated with smaller gray matter volumes in right orbitofrontal cortex (rOFC) and right posterior parietal cortex. In the independent sample 2 (80 participants; 33 males; 20.33 ± 1.83 years), the RSFC analyses ascertained that the functional connectivity of rOFC and right anterior cingulate cortex (rACC) was positively associated with risk preference. Furthermore, the mediation analysis identified that self-control mediated the impact of functional connectivity of rOFC-rACC on risk preference. These findings suggest the functional coupling between the rOFC and rACC might account for the association between self-control and risk preference. The present study extends our understanding on the relationship between self-control and risk preference, and reveals possible neural underpinnings underlying this association.
Highlights
The decisions we make in our daily lives have a pronounced effect on our physical, psychological, and individual or family economics
The results demonstrated that the gray matter volumes (GMV) in right orbitofrontal cortex (rOFC) (MNI peak coordinates: 18, 50, −22; voxels = 346; p < 0.001, small volume correction; see Figure 3A and Table 1) and the right posterior parietal cortex (rPPC) (MNI peak coordinates: 36, −72, 42; voxels = 119; p < 0.001, small volume correction; see Figure 3B and Table 1) were negatively associated with gambling rate
These results suggested that the GMV of rOFC and rPPC might be the underlying neuroanatomical basis of risk preference
Summary
The decisions we make in our daily lives have a pronounced effect on our physical, psychological, and individual or family economics. Risks and uncertainties pervade our decisions across the lifespan, including physical health (Lusk and Coble, 2005), sexual safety (Harbison et al, 2018), and financial decision making Individuals with high risk preferences are commonly associated with more maladaptive behaviors, including alcohol consumption, drug abuse, smoking, gambling, and unsafe sexual activity (Donohew et al, 2000; Robbins and Bryan, 2004; Bechara, 2005; Bickel et al, 2012). Prior literature has indicated that risk preference results from a lack of self-control (Freeman and Muraven, 2010; Ryan et al, 2013). The relationship between self-control and risk preference has been explored in the behavioral field, little is known about the neural substrates underlying the effects of self-control on risk preference
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