Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: Intuitively, good and bad outcomes affect our emotional state, but whether the emotional state feeds back onto the perception of outcomes remains unknown. Here, we use behaviour and functional neuroimaging of human participants to investigate this bidirectional interaction, by comparing the evaluation of slot machines played before and after an emotion-impacting wheel-of-fortune draw. Results indicate that self-reported mood instability is associated with a positive-feedback effect of emotional state on the perception of outcomes. We then use theoretical simulations to demonstrate that such positive feedback would result in mood destabilization. Taken together, our results suggest that the interaction between emotional state and learning may play a significant role in the emergence of mood instability. Whether emotional state affects the perception of outcomes, and the possible consequences of this interaction remain unclear. Here the authors use behavioural tests and brain imaging to study the bidirectional interaction between emotional state and learning in humans and find that this interaction may play a role in mood instability.
Source: Nature Communications
DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7149
Authors: Eran Eldar, Yael Niv
Institution: Princeton University
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,990
OpenAlex ID: W2086937387