Gain and Loss in Optimistic vs. Pessimistic Brains (IMAGE)

California Institute of Technology

Gain and Loss in Optimistic vs. Pessimistic Brains

Caption

Subjects who reported they were "good" at the task (optimists) showed highest brain activity when they expected large gains; subjects who thought they performed "poorly" (pessimists) showed highest brain activity when they tried to avoid large losses. Yellow regions show brain areas with highest motor planning activity; green and red regions depict areas that exhibited the strongest modulation in activity relative to the subjective absolute value.

Credit

Igor Kagan/Caltech

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