It seems human aren’t the only one who are curious of gaining extra knowledge. A new study has revealed that like humans; monkeys to get interested to acquire additional information. Monkeys and humans have shared similar part in the brain that is responsible for decision-making, according the researchers.
“It’s like buying a lottery ticket that you can scratch off and find out if you win immediately, or you can buy one that has a drawing after the evening news,” said Benjamin Hayden, one of the researchers.”Regardless, you won’t get the money any more quickly, or in the case of the monkeys, they won’t get the squirt of water any sooner. They will just find out if they selected the winning option.”
In the experiment, monkeys were presented with a video gambling tasks with color columns that displayed the amount of water that could be won. It was found that monkeys showed more curiousness when the stakes were high and were willing to pick the winner. Monkeys selected the option when the winnings were 25 per cent less than the gamble.
The finding gives a broader view of how the curiosity and seeking information is processed in the brain. Gambling involves two things – interest and prize to be won for the decision. Like humans, monkeys too were found to be willing to pay to when they were winning. The finding can give a new insight into psychiatric treatment in the coming decade.
“One of the reasons this research is important is because this basic desire for information turns out to be something that’s really corrupted in people with anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and addiction,” said Hayden. “We think that by understanding these basic circuits in monkeys, we may gain insights that 10 to 15 years down the road may lead to new treatments for these psychiatric diseases.”
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