This Little Part of Your Brain Made You Buy That Losing Powerball Ticket

Researchers at the Stanford Neurosciences Institute used used diffusion-weighted MRIs to study a tract of neuron connected to regions of the brain associated with risk and reward.  The results: That tiny portion of your brain is responsible for the purchase of that losing Powerball ticket.  Nobody won the $950 million tied to the current Powerball.

“Activity in one brain region appears to indicate ‘Uh oh, I might lose money,’ but in another seems to indicate ‘Oh yay, I could win something,'” Brian Knutson, associate professor of psychology and lead researcher, said in a Stanford news release on Thursday. “The balance between this ‘uh oh’ and ‘oh yay’ activity differs between people and can determine the gambling decisions we make.”

Get that portion of your brain ready once again as the next Powerball prize was expected to be a cool $1.3 billion.

- Jagajeet Chiba, Gambling911.com