London, June 06: Considering a key move? Take a
call only after having a good meal, for a study has revealed
that big decisions are best made on a full stomach.
Researchers at Cambridge University have found that
food raises the levels of serotonin in brain and people with
higher concentration of the hormone are more likely to take
a successful decision than those on an empty tummy.
Serotonin is produced in the body from Tryptophan, an
amino acid present in foods like chocolate, red meat, seeds,
nuts, bananas and curd.
On the contrary, skipping meals lowers levels of the
brain chemical which keeps careless and impulsive behaviour in
check. As a result, our hearts may overrule our heads, leading
to bad decisions being made, according to the researchers.
"Our results suggest that serotonin plays a critical
role in social decision making by normally keeping aggressive
social responses in check. "changes in diet and stress cause our serotonin levels
to fluctuate naturally, so it is important to understand how
this might affect our everyday decision making," the British
media quoted lead researcher Molly Crockett as saying.
The team came to the conclusion after analysing 20
volunteers. They cut the serotonin levels in the participants
for a short time by manipulating their diets.
Subsequently, the researchers compared the behaviour
of the volunteers following the brain chemical depletion to
the behaviour following a placebo treatment, when playing a
popular indoor game.
In the game, one player offers the other a share of
some money. If the offer is accepted, both players are paid
their split. If rejected, neither player gets anything.
The study showed that normally the participants tend
to reject about half of all offers less than 20 to 30 percent
of the total stake, despite the fact that this means they get
nothing actually.
But when serotonin levels were low -- something that
occurs when people are on an empty stomach -- the number of
low offers turned down rose to more than 80 percent.
In other words, lack of serotonin increased the
likelihood of the player making an unfair offer effectively
being told where he could put his money, according to the
Cambridge team.
The results of the study have been published in the
latest edition of the 'science' journal.
Bureau Report