Anyone who loves risk does not necessarily have to be “mindless”, first of all! The intelligence is also distributed differently among danger junkies, but the gray matter of the brain is not. Researchers at the University of Zurich and the University of Pennsylvania found that there is much less of a risk when a person shows a high willingness to take risks.
Less gray matter in three important brain regions
People seek danger in different ways. They break the speed limit on the streets, prove themselves free-climbing, consume excessive alcohol or cigarettes and love regular one-night stands. Others, on the other hand, prefer to hold back and shy away from danger. The Swiss-American team of scientists examined the behavioral data and brain scans of more than 25,000 people and found a clear parallel between the amount of gray matter in the brain and personal risk tolerance. People who accept negative social, financial or health consequences in order to develop themselves, for example, have less substance in the amygdala, but also in the hypothalamus and the ventral striatum.
These brain functions are directly affected
The gray matter controls basic functions such as muscle control, but also sensory perception; it also supports decision-making. The amygdala is specifically responsible for emotional reactions to danger, while the ventral striatum contains a kind of reward center. The hypothalamus, on the other hand, controls the release of the typical happiness hormone dopamine and the so-called “bonding hormone” oxytocin, which regulates interpersonal relationships. The vegetative body functions are also subject to the hypothalamus. The hippocampus is also one of the affected regions, it helps to store memories, while the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex regulates cognitive weighing and self-control: it too has less substance in people at risk.
Even if the researchers take other factors such as gender, age, and brain size out of account, the clear differences between risk-taking and cautious remain. So the connection seems proven. In addition, the researchers found that certain gene constellations do not exactly urge caution, but here the data is much thinner.
Those: wissenschaft.de
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