Psychology How desires affect our judgment

Our reward system influences the judgment

People who judge themselves, others, or certain situations usually think that they are in the clear. However, the basis for a sentence is not only based on our understanding, relevant information and experience. A German research team recently found out in a metabolic study that our personal preferences and the reward system of the brain massively influence our judgment.

Many of our reviews are colored by our own wishes. We are constantly at risk of making a distorted judgment without realizing it. This was recognized by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Metabolism Research in Cologne. They were able to document how the reward system in the brain, especially in the case of complex and confusing situations, uses one's own wishful thinking to form an opinion. The study results were recently published in the journal "The Journal of Neuroscience".

Do we pack in cotton? Obviously, our reward system in the brain makes us prefer convenient interpretations in the formation of judgments in order to avoid dangerous conclusions. (Image: Ljupco Smokovski / fotolia.com)

Let's lean to the more convenient truth?

"In complex, confusing situations, we run the risk of making a distorted judgment as soon as we prefer one conclusion to another," says metabolic scientist Bojana Kuzmanovic in a press release on the study's findings. Our wishful thinking can influence our judgment.

How did the researchers come to this verdict??

Participants in the study should assess, for certain negative events, how high the risk is that other people will experience something negative and how high the risk of falling victim to even a certain negative event. Afterwards, the subjects were given the actual statistics on the facts and they were again allowed to provide an estimate of how likely it is that they too could be affected. During the survey, the participants' brain activity was recorded by means of a magnetic resonance tomograph (MRI).

Let's think of things nicely?

As the researchers report, most of the participants changed their assessments when the actual risk was lower than what they estimated. By contrast, actually higher risks were less taken into account for the judgment. "By ignoring unpleasant information, we avoid threatening conclusions," says Kuzmanovic. As an example, the researcher gives a federal statistics on heart attacks. Many participants rate their risk of having a heart attack less than the average risk because they believe they have a particularly healthy lifestyle.

The reward system tarnishes the judgment

With the MRI measurements, the research team was able to prove that the embellished assessment of a subject matter involved the brain region that otherwise responded strongly to rewards such as food or money. The reward center was not only integrated into judgment, it also affected other brain areas involved in the conclusion, according to the researchers. "The stronger this neuronal influence was, the more strongly the judgments of the study participants were determined by their wishes," sums up the study team.

Beautiful thinking helps - as long as there are no negative consequences

The scientists were thus able to prove that our wishes and preferences influence our judgment without our consciously noticing it. "We can benefit from this pleasant self-reinforcing effect as long as our judgments have no serious consequences," says study leader Marc Tittgemeyer. However, when making important decisions, we should be aware that our inclinations may distort the picture. Strategies to increase objectivity could help here, says Tittgemeyer.

Lead metabolic disorders to judgmental distortions?

The team considers it possible that metabolic diseases also influence judgment. "If the homeostatic networks are altered by disease, it could also affect reward-dependent brain areas and, for example, lead to more impulsive behavior," the researchers write. The Max Planck team would like to investigate this aspect in another study. (Vb)