Serotonin modulates behavioral reactions to unfairness.
Serotonin (5-HT) has long been implicated in social behavior and impulsivity, but the mechanisms through which it modulates self-control remain unclear. We observed the effects of manipulating 5-HT function on behavior in the ultimatum game, where players must decide whether to accept or reject fair or unfair monetary offers from another player. Participants with depleted 5-HT levels rejected a greater proportion of unfair offers, but not fair offers, without showing changes in mood, fairness judgment, basic reward processing, or response inhibition. Our results suggest that 5-HT plays a critical role in regulating emotion during social decision-making.
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EB, UK. mc536@cam.ac.uk
Molly J
MJ
Crockett
Luke
L
Clark
Golnaz
G
Tabibnia
Matthew D
MD
Lieberman
Trevor W
TW
Robbins
D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D004644:Emotions; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D012938:Social Perception
D012701:Serotonin