Neural mechanisms and personality correlates of the sunk cost effect.
The sunk cost effect, an interesting and well-known maladaptive behavior, is pervasive in real life, and thus has been studied in various disciplines, including economics, psychology, organizational behavior, politics, and biology. However, the neural mechanisms underlying the sunk cost effect have not been clearly established, nor have their association with differences in individual susceptibility to the effect. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated neural responses induced by sunk costs along with measures of core human personality. We found that individuals who tend to adhere to social rules and regulations (who are high in measured agreeableness and conscientiousness) are more susceptible to the sunk cost effect. Furthermore, this behavioral observation was strongly mediated by insula activity during sunk cost decision-making. Tight coupling between the insula and lateral prefrontal cortex was also observed during decision-making under sunk costs. Our findings reveal how individual differences can affect decision-making under sunk costs, thereby contributing to a better understanding of the psychological and neural mechanisms of the sunk cost effect.
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.|Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11 Kitakarasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo, 157-8577, Japan.
Junya
J
Fujino
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Shinsuke
S
Fujimoto
Department of Psychiatry, The Jikei University School of Medicine, 3-25-8 Nishishinbashi, Minato, Tokyo 105-0003, Japan.
Fumitoshi
F
Kodaka
Division of Humanities and Social Sciences, California Institute of Technology, 1200 East California Boulevard, Pasadena, California, 91125, USA.
Colin F
CF
Camerer
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Ryosaku
R
Kawada
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Kosuke
K
Tsurumi
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.|Institute of Applied Brain Sciences, Waseda University, 2-579-15 Mikajima, Tokorozawa, Saitama 359-1192, Japan.|School of Human and Social Sciences, Tokyo International University, 2509 Matoba, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-1198, Japan.
Shisei
S
Tei
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Masanori
M
Isobe
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Jun
J
Miyata
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Genichi
G
Sugihara
Molecular Neuroimaging Program, Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan.
Makiko
M
Yamada
Human Brain Research Center, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Hidenao
H
Fukuyama
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Toshiya
T
Murai
Department of Psychiatry, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, 54 Shogoin-Kawaracho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
Hidehiko
H
Takahashi
D000328:Adult; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D004467:Economics; D005260:Female; D006179:Gyrus Cinguli / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010551:Personality; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult