Center for Economics and Neuroscience

The Center for Economics and Neuroscience (CENs) is an interdisciplinary research institute at the University of Bonn.

The CENs building on the Venusberg.

History

It was founded in 2009 by Christian E. Elger, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winner Armin Falk, Martin Reuter and Bernd Weber, with the goal of providing an international platform for neuroeconomics and promoting its interdisciplinary work.

The CENs combines the knowledge and methods of neuroscience, behavioural genetics, psychology and experimental economics in order to expand the understanding of human behavior, especially in economically relevant contexts.[1][2][3]

Research

The CENs is a central research facility of the University of Bonn and has access to the scientific institutions of the contributing institutions whose use can be combined arbitrarily.

This includes the Laboratory for Experimental Economics that can carry out computer-based behavioral experiments with up to 24 participants simultaneously, two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners for interactive behavioral experiments and functional imaging, as well as a biomolecular laboratory for genotyping different polymorphisms.

Many different research topics have been and are currently the focus of the CENs researchers. This is best explained using examples of studies, such as one that combined computer-based behavioral experiments and behavioural genetics to pinpoint a certain piece of DNA related to the willingness to donate money.[4] A different study found a highly significant link between unfair pay and cardiovascular health,[5] while yet another study used MRI to show that players first-person shooter games were more desensitized than the control group.[6] CENs researchers also found testosterone to increase honesty in men,[7] and a more recent study suggests that business erodes morality.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Boost your testosterone for honesty". EuropeanCommission. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  2. ↑ Hsu, Christine (5 March 2013). "Men Lie 3 Times More Than Women, Telling On Average 1,095 Lies A Year". Counsel&Heal. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  3. ↑ Jager, Chris (10 May 2013). "Would You Kill A Mouse For Ten Dollars?". lifehacker. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  4. ↑ Reporter, Daily Mail (4 November 2010). "Mean with money? It's all down to your DNA". thisismoney.co.uk. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  5. ↑ Powell, Naomi (26 July 2013). "Unfair pay bad for the wallet, worse for the heart". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  6. ↑ Canada News Net (13 October 2011). "Violent video games prompt aggressive behaviour". Canada News.Net. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  7. ↑ "Testosterone increases honesty". eurekalert. 10 October 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
  8. ↑ ScienceDaily (10 May 2013). "Do Markets Erode Moral Values? People Ignore Their Own Moral Standards When Acting as Market Participants, Researchers Say". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 25 July 2013.

External links


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