Gamblers and Monkeys are Closer than Ever

Who'd have guessed, huh?

I can't resist research studies like this

It seems monkeys are pretty big gamblers when faced with a choice of risk or steady rewards. And as the stakes rise, so will their risk-taking.

Basically, a set of male rhesus monkeys were given a choice of 2 lights that would yield them a reward. One light would give a steady reward of juice, whilst the risky light would either offer a smaller amount or a larger amount - there was a significant result of the monkeys preferring to gamble.

On this first test, over time, the average amount of juice was the same. However, in a second test, the odds were shifted to make the risky light less of a reward than the steady light.

And again, the results favoured the risky light.

It was clear the monkeys preferred the idea of the big reward - which cancelled out any losses they suffered. When wired up, the researchers also found that neuron activity increased as the frequency of the monkeys choosing the light did

Like monkey like gambler? well, with a bit more research, it could be true!

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