Abstract
How do our valuation systems change to homeostatically correct undesirable psychological or physiological states, such as those caused by hunger? There is evidence that hunger increases discounting for food rewards, biasing choices towards smaller but sooner food reward over larger but later reward. However, it is not understood how hunger modulates delay discounting for non-food items. We outline and quantitatively evaluate six possible models of how our valuation systems modulate discounting of various commodities in the face of the undesirable state of being hungry. With a repeated-measures design, an experimental hunger manipulation, and quantitative modeling, we find strong evidence that hunger causes large increases in delay discounting for food, with an approximately 25% spillover effect to non-food commodities. The results provide evidence that in the face of hunger, our valuation systems increase discounting for commodities, which cannot achieve a desired state change as well as for those commodities that can. Given that strong delay discounting can cause negative outcomes in many non-food (consumer, investment, medical, or inter-personal) domains, the present findings suggest caution may be necessary when making decisions involving non-food outcomes while hungry.
Highlights
It is beneficial to have evolved behaviors to homeostatically correct undesirable physiological or psychological states
This is the case outside of substance dependence—discount rates for food rewards are higher when participants are hungry relative to sated (Button, 2017; Kirk & Logue, 1997), and induced feelings of relative deprivation result in increased discounting for monetary rewards (Callan et al, 2011)
How do our valuations systems alter discounting of out-of-domain commodities whose acquisition would not directly achieve homeostasis? There is evidence that various state manipulations affect general discounting for monetary rewards, such as sexual cues (Van den Bergh & Dewitte, 2008), hunger (Bartholdy et al, 2016; Wang & Dvorak, 2010), and nicotine withdrawal (Field et al, 2006) all result in increased monetary discounting
Summary
It is beneficial to have evolved behaviors to homeostatically correct undesirable physiological or psychological states. Mild opioid deprivation leads to increased discounting of heroin rewards for dependent individuals (Giordano et al, 2002). This is the case outside of substance dependence—discount rates for food rewards are higher when participants are hungry relative to sated (Button, 2017; Kirk & Logue, 1997), and induced feelings of relative deprivation result in increased discounting for monetary rewards (Callan et al, 2011). What is rather less clear is how our valuation systems modulate discounting for the wide range of other out-of-domain commodities with no apparent route to achieve the relevant state change. We can enumerate six candidate models (Fig. 1; ranging from more trait- to more state-based accounts) of how this may work
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