#570 Brian Knutson: The Neuroscience of Emotions, and Economic Decision-Making
RECORDED ON SEPTEMBER 9th 2021.
Dr. Brian Knutson is a Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Stanford University. His research focuses on the neural basis of emotional experience and expression. His long-term goal is to understand the neurochemical and neuroanatomical mechanisms responsible for emotional experience, and to explore the implications of these findings for the assessment and treatment of clinical disorders as well as for economic behavior. He is a fellow of the Academy for Behavioral Medicine Research and the Association for Psychological Science, and his research has been funded by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, and numerous private foundations.
In this episode, we talk about affective neuroscience. We start by discussing what it is, and the kinds of questions it deals with. We talk about affect, emotions, and what they correspond to in the brain. We discuss if is makes sense to distinguish between emotions and feelings. We talk about the areas in the brain that play a role in emotion processing. We discuss the role emotions play in decision-making. We talk about how affect influences preferences and beliefs. We ask if emotions vary cross-culturally. We then get into aspects related to financial decisions, including the relationship between future self-continuity and savings, financial risk-taking, and gain and loss learning. We discuss if there are individual differences in these domains, and if economic decisions vary across the lifespan. Finally, we talk about what neuroscience adds to the picture of psychology and economics.
Time Links:
Intro
Affective neuroscience
Affect and amotions
Emotions and feelings
Emotion processing in the brain
The role of emotions in decision-making
Affect, and preferences and beliefs
Do emotions vary cross-culturally?
Financial decisions – savings, risk-taking, and gain and loss learning
1.04:08 What neuroscience adds to the picture
1.07:12 Follow Dr. Knutson’s work!
Follow Dr. Knutson’s work:
University page: https://stanford.io/3nByxoK
ResearchGate profile: https://bit.ly/3aTWO46