Glor > Recent Status Updates

[DLPFC] works as the brain's regulator, inhibiting impulsive behaviors that may not be acceptable to exhibit.

[The prefrontal cortex] is the brain region implicated in judgment, reasoning, and inhibition. This is the area of the brain that helps us to think before we act, so to speak.

By representing those things we want the most in life, the basal ganglia hold considerable sway over almost every aspect of cognition—including decision making.

... the mesocortical limbic pathway is really like the brain's motivation system, a circuit involved with evaluating both the risks and rewards involved with any decision.

... throwing caution to the wind is often the only way to make our dreams come true.

We want to find a way to leverage risk so we can capture success and happiness in life. But if we aren't always rational, is there even hope that we can learn to do so?

... we humans are rational beings and we are capable of managing risks in a manner that is always to our benefit.

Life is inherently risky.

Risk is a decision or behavior that has a significant probability of resulting in a negative outcome.

... decisions are made by comparing the subjective value of the available decisions, which takes into account the magnitude of gain or loss, the known probability of that outcome, and some individual-specific discounting factor.

"... unlike the simple economic definition, this "neuroeconomic" one starts to consider people's individual quirks when it comes to risk taking. It respects that we don't all approach risk the same way.

"Once upon a time, I was a risk-taker. And as I consider my next moves in life, I hope I might become a risk-taker again. But as I move forward, I intend to be a more informed one.