Developing measurements of happiness with neuroeconomic approaches

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23683005
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (A)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Economic policy
• Research Institution: Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (2012-2014); Osaka University (2011)
• Principal Investigator: KAWAWAKI (TANAKA) Saori 株式会社国際電気通信基礎技術研究所, 脳情報通信総合研究所, 主任研究員 (00505985)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OHTAKE Fumio 大阪大学, 社会経済研究所, 教授 (50176913) ; NARUMOTO Jin 京都府立医科大学, 医学研究科, 准教授 (30347463) ; YAMADA Katsunori 近畿大学, 経済学研究科, 准教授 (80533603)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 神経経済学 / 幸福の経済学 / 社会効用 / 報酬系

Outline of Final Research Achievements

To verify whether “happiness” can be described in a biological measurements, I conducted experiments to measure the economic utility, social and biological attribute data, and neural activities during economics decision-making both in non-social/social situations. I found that parietal cortex and the striatum is involved in subjective or non-social utility, also that insular cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is involved in social preference and its activities varies depending on personal attributes such as gender. In order to test the detailed functions of these brain areas, I conducted preliminary neurofeedback experiments with fMRI, suggest the activities of the striatum involving subjective utility might change some decision-making measurements.

Free Research Field

計算論的神経科学