andrewducker | More brain stuff

While player A was contemplating his revenge, a positron emission tomography (PET) scan determined what parts of his brain were active. The scans showed increased activity in the striatum, a region associated with the processing of rewards, but only when A knew he could hurt B financially. The implication was that real punishment feels good. To explore the significance of this emotion, the researchers sometimes charged A for his revenge. They found that the level of striatum activity positively correlated with how much money a participant was willing to pay for the opportunity to retaliate. The anticipation of pleasure apparently affected a player's eagerness to punish.

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