"Now that scientists have spotted the pain and pleasure centers in the brain, they’ve moved on to more expensive real estate: the brain’s shopping center. They have been asking the big questions: What is the difference between a tightwad’s brain and a spendthrift’s brain? What neurological circuits stop you from buying a George Foreman grill but not a Discovery Channel color-changing mood clock? Why is there a $2,178.23 balance on my January Visa bill? This last question isn’t yet fully answered, even after I stared at said Visa bill while lying inside a functional M.R.I. machine at Stanford University. But scientists are closer to solving the mystery. By scanning shoppers’ brains, they think they’ve identified a little voice telling you not to spend your money. Or, in my case, a voice saying, “At this price, you can’t afford not to buy the mood clock!” Full story here.
This is what I call a great science piece! Informative, educational and very, very funny. Overall, a great reading experience! The subject was not exactly of top interest to me, but the story caught me! First because the title was a bit unusual for a science-focused story and then because of the author's tone.
Tags: Journalism, Science
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We have a scanner in Princeton too. Actually I have been in the scanner a few times, let alone the other side of the window. What I saw is that a compensation of 40 USD is not drawing very much of an audience, and in regards to motivation it is like nothing. (Actually this is the ethical way to do it, you don't want the participants to come just because thet're paid. Otherwise, e.g, they might experience life-threatening conditions in the scanner, but won't say a thing because they would loose too much money.) So, IMHO, these people had zero motivation and it was something else.
On the other hand, what to you think of this?