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James J. Gross - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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testing the effects of suppression and reappraisal on emotional concordance using a multivariate multilevel model
Biological Psychology, 2014Co-Authors: Emily A Butler, James J. Gross, Kobus BarnardAbstract:Abstract In theory, the essence of emotion is coordination across experiential, Behavioral, and physiological systems in the service of functional responding to environmental demands. However, people often regulate emotions, which could either reduce or enhance cross-system concordance. The present study tested the effects of two forms of emotion regulation (Expressive suppression, positive reappraisal) on concordance of subjective experience (positive–negative valence), Expressive Behavior (positive and negative), and physiology (inter-beat interval, skin conductance, blood pressure) during conversations between unacquainted young women. As predicted, participants asked to suppress showed reduced concordance for both positive and negative emotions. Reappraisal instructions also reduced concordance for negative emotions, but increased concordance for positive ones. Both regulation strategies had contagious interpersonal effects on average levels of responding. Suppression reduced overall expression for both regulating and uninstructed partners, while reappraisal reduced negative experience. Neither strategy influenced the uninstructed partners’ concordance. These results suggest that emotion regulation impacts concordance by altering the temporal coupling of phasic subsystem responses, rather than by having divergent effects on subsystem tonic levels.
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does expressing your emotions raise or lower your blood pressure the answer depends on cultural context
Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 2009Co-Authors: Emily A Butler, Tiane L Lee, James J. GrossAbstract:Emotion-Expressive Behavior is often - but not always -- inversely related to physiological responding. To test the hypothesis that cultural context moderates the relationship between expressivity and physiological responding, we had Asian American and European American women engage in face-to-face conversations about a distressing film in same-ethnicity dyads. Blood pressure was measured continuously and emotional expressivity was rated from videotapes. Results indicated that emotion-Expressive Behavior was inversely related to blood pressure in European American dyads, but the reverse was true in Asian American dyads who showed a trend towards a positive association. These results suggest that the links between emotion-Expressive Behavior and physiological responding may depend upon cultural context. One possible explanation for this effect may be that cultural contexts shape the meaning individuals give to emotional expressions that occur during social interactions.
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the up and down regulation of amusement experiential Behavioral and autonomic consequences
Emotion, 2008Co-Authors: Nicole R Giuliani, Kateri Mcrae, James J. GrossAbstract:A growing body of research has examined the regulation of negative emotions. However, little is known about the physiological processes underlying the regulation of positive emotions, such as when amusement is enhanced during periods of stress, or attenuated in the pursuit of social goals. The aim of this study was to examine the psychophysiological consequences of the cognitive up- and down-regulation of amusement. To address this goal, participants viewed brief, amusing film clips while measurements of experience, Behavior, and peripheral physiology were collected. Using an event-related design, participants viewed each film under the instructions either to a) watch, b) use cognitive reappraisal to increase amusement, or c) use cognitive reappraisal to decrease amusement. Findings indicated that emotion experience, emotion-Expressive Behavior, and autonomic physiology (including heart rate, respiration, and sympathetic nervous system activation) were enhanced and diminished in accordance with regulation instructions. This finding is a critical extension of the growing literature on the voluntary regulation of emotion, and has the potential to help us better understand how people use humor in the service of coping and social goals.
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the dissociation of emotion expression from emotion experience a personality perspective
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 2000Co-Authors: James J. Gross, Oliver P John, Jane M RichardsAbstract:When we want to know what others are feeling, we look to the face for clues. However, individual differences matter: Some faces are more Expressive than others. Do both emotion experience and dispositional expressivity predict emotion expression? Based on an analysis of display rules, the authors hypothesized that expressivity would moderate the relation between experience and expression for negative, but not for positive, emotion. Study 1 examined the relation between habitual emotion experience and peer-rated Expressive Behavior and showed the predicted moderator effect for negative emotion: Experience was related to expression only for dispositionally high-expressivity participants, not for low-expressivity participants. For positive emotion, however, experience was related to expression for both groups. Study 2 replicated these findings using momentary emotion experience and objectively coded Expressive Behavior during films that elicited amusement and sadness. Results are interpreted in terms of low-...
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Antecedent- and Response-Focused Emotion Regulation: Divergent Consequences for Experience, Expression, and Physiology
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1998Co-Authors: James J. GrossAbstract:Using a process model of emotion, a distinction between antecedent-focused and response-focused emotion regulation is proposed. To test this distinction, 120 participants were shown a disgusting film while their experiential, Behavioral, and physiological responses were recorded. Participants were told to either (a) think about the film in such a way that they would feel nothing (reappraisal, a form of antecedent-focused emotion regulation), (b) behave in such a way that someone watching them would not know they were feeling anything (suppression, a form of response-focused emotion regulation), or (c) watch the film (a control condition), Compared with the control condition, both reappraisal and suppression were effective in reducing emotion-Expressive Behavior. However, reap-praisal decreased disgust experience, whereas suppression increased sympathetic activation. These results suggest that these 2 emotion regulatory processes may have different adaptive consequences.
Y Raz - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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individual differences in allocation of funds in the dictator game associated with length of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor rs3 promoter region and correlation between rs3 length and hippocampal mrna
Genes Brain and Behavior, 2008Co-Authors: A Knafo, S Israel, A Darvasi, R Bachnermelman, Florina Uzefovsky, L Cohen, E Feldman, E Lerer, E Laiba, Y RazAbstract:Human altruism is a widespread phenomenon that puzzled evolutionary biologists since Darwin. Economic games illustrate human altruism by showing that Behavior deviates from economic predictions of profit maximization. A game that most plainly shows this altruistic tendency is the Dictator Game. We hypothesized that human altruistic Behavior is to some extent hardwired and that a likely candidate that may contribute to individual differences in altruistic Behavior is the arginine vasopressin 1a (AVPR1a) receptor that in some mammals such as the vole has a profound impact on affiliative Behaviors. In the current investigation, 203 male and female university students played an online version of the Dictator Game, for real money payoffs. All subjects and their parents were genotyped for AVPR1a RS1 and RS3 promoter-region repeat polymorphisms. Parents did not participate in online game playing. As variation in the length of a repetitive element in the vole AVPR1a promoter region is associated with differences in social Behavior, we examined the relationship between RS1 and RS3 repeat length (base pairs) and allocation sums. Participants with short versions (308–325 bp) of the AVPR1a RS3 repeat allocated significantly (likelihood ratio = 14.75, P = 0.001, df = 2) fewer shekels to the ‘other’ than participants with long versions (327–343 bp). We also implemented a family-based association test, UNPHASED, to confirm and validate the correlation between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and monetary allocations in the dictator game. Dictator game allocations were significantly associated with the RS3 repeat (global P value: likelihood ratio χ2 = 11.73, df = 4, P = 0.019). The association between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and altruism was also confirmed using two self-report scales (the Bardi–Schwartz Universalism and Benevolence Value-Expressive Behavior scales). RS3 long alleles were associated with higher scores on both measures. Finally, long AVPR1a RS3 repeats were associated with higher AVPR1a human post-mortem hippocampal messenger RNA levels than short RS3 repeats (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA): F = 15.04, P = 0.001, df = 14) suggesting a functional molecular genetic basis for the observation that participants with the long RS3 repeats allocate more money than participants with the short repeats. This is the first investigation showing that a common human polymorphism, with antecedents in lower mammals, contributes to decision making in an economic game. The finding that the same gene contributing to social bonding in lower animals also appears to operate similarly in human Behavior suggests a common evolutionary mechanism.
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individual differences in allocation of funds in the dictator game associated with length of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor rs3 promoter region and correlation between rs3 length and hippocampal mrna
Genes Brain and Behavior, 2008Co-Authors: A Knafo, S Israel, A Darvasi, R Bachnermelman, Florina Uzefovsky, L Cohen, E Feldman, E Lerer, E Laiba, Y RazAbstract:Human altruism is a widespread phenomenon that puzzled evolutionary biologists since Darwin. Economic games illustrate human altruism by demonstrating that Behavior deviates from economic predictions of profit maximization. A game that most plainly demonstrates this altruistic tendency is the Dictator Game. We hypothesized that human altruistic Behavior is to some extent hardwired and that a likely candidate that may contribute to individual differences in altruistic Behavior is the arginine vasopressin 1a (AVPR1a) receptor that in some mammals such as the vole has a profound impact on affiliative Behaviors. In the current investigation, 203 male and female university students played an online version of the Dictator Game, for real money payoffs. All subjects and their parents were genotyped for AVPR1a RS1 & RS3 promoter-region repeat polymorphisms. Parents did not participate in online game playing. Since variation in the length of a repetitive element in the vole AVPR1a promoter region is associated with differences in social Behavior we examined the relationship between RS1 and RS3 repeat length (base pairs) and allocation sums. Participants with short versions (308-325 bp) of the AVPR1a RS3 repeat allocated significantly (Likelihood ratio=14.75, p=0.001, DF=2) fewer shekels to the 'other' than participants with long versions (327-343 bp). We also implemented a family-based association test, UNPHASED, to confirm and validate the correlation between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and monetary allocations in the Dictator Game. Dictator Game allocations were significantly associated with the RS3 repeat (global p value: Likelihood ratio chi-sq = 11.73, DF= 4, p-value = 0.019). The association between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and altruism was also confirmed using two self-report scales (the Bardi-Schwartz Universalism and Benevolence Value-Expressive Behavior Scales). RS3 long alleles were associated with higher scores on both measures. Finally, long AVPR1a RS3 repeats were associated with higher AVPR1a human postmortem hippocampal mRNA levels than short RS3 repeats (One way-ANOVA: F=15.04, p=0.001, DF= 14) suggesting a functional molecular genetic basis for the observation that participants with the long RS3 repeats allocate more money than participants with the short repeats. This is the first investigation showing that a common human polymorphism, with antecedents in lower mammals, contributes to decision making in an economic game. The finding that the same gene contributing to social bonding in lower animals also appears to operate similarly in human Behavior suggests a common evolutionary mechanism.
A Knafo - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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individual differences in allocation of funds in the dictator game associated with length of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor rs3 promoter region and correlation between rs3 length and hippocampal mrna
Genes Brain and Behavior, 2008Co-Authors: A Knafo, S Israel, A Darvasi, R Bachnermelman, Florina Uzefovsky, L Cohen, E Feldman, E Lerer, E Laiba, Y RazAbstract:Human altruism is a widespread phenomenon that puzzled evolutionary biologists since Darwin. Economic games illustrate human altruism by showing that Behavior deviates from economic predictions of profit maximization. A game that most plainly shows this altruistic tendency is the Dictator Game. We hypothesized that human altruistic Behavior is to some extent hardwired and that a likely candidate that may contribute to individual differences in altruistic Behavior is the arginine vasopressin 1a (AVPR1a) receptor that in some mammals such as the vole has a profound impact on affiliative Behaviors. In the current investigation, 203 male and female university students played an online version of the Dictator Game, for real money payoffs. All subjects and their parents were genotyped for AVPR1a RS1 and RS3 promoter-region repeat polymorphisms. Parents did not participate in online game playing. As variation in the length of a repetitive element in the vole AVPR1a promoter region is associated with differences in social Behavior, we examined the relationship between RS1 and RS3 repeat length (base pairs) and allocation sums. Participants with short versions (308–325 bp) of the AVPR1a RS3 repeat allocated significantly (likelihood ratio = 14.75, P = 0.001, df = 2) fewer shekels to the ‘other’ than participants with long versions (327–343 bp). We also implemented a family-based association test, UNPHASED, to confirm and validate the correlation between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and monetary allocations in the dictator game. Dictator game allocations were significantly associated with the RS3 repeat (global P value: likelihood ratio χ2 = 11.73, df = 4, P = 0.019). The association between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and altruism was also confirmed using two self-report scales (the Bardi–Schwartz Universalism and Benevolence Value-Expressive Behavior scales). RS3 long alleles were associated with higher scores on both measures. Finally, long AVPR1a RS3 repeats were associated with higher AVPR1a human post-mortem hippocampal messenger RNA levels than short RS3 repeats (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA): F = 15.04, P = 0.001, df = 14) suggesting a functional molecular genetic basis for the observation that participants with the long RS3 repeats allocate more money than participants with the short repeats. This is the first investigation showing that a common human polymorphism, with antecedents in lower mammals, contributes to decision making in an economic game. The finding that the same gene contributing to social bonding in lower animals also appears to operate similarly in human Behavior suggests a common evolutionary mechanism.
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individual differences in allocation of funds in the dictator game associated with length of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor rs3 promoter region and correlation between rs3 length and hippocampal mrna
Genes Brain and Behavior, 2008Co-Authors: A Knafo, S Israel, A Darvasi, R Bachnermelman, Florina Uzefovsky, L Cohen, E Feldman, E Lerer, E Laiba, Y RazAbstract:Human altruism is a widespread phenomenon that puzzled evolutionary biologists since Darwin. Economic games illustrate human altruism by demonstrating that Behavior deviates from economic predictions of profit maximization. A game that most plainly demonstrates this altruistic tendency is the Dictator Game. We hypothesized that human altruistic Behavior is to some extent hardwired and that a likely candidate that may contribute to individual differences in altruistic Behavior is the arginine vasopressin 1a (AVPR1a) receptor that in some mammals such as the vole has a profound impact on affiliative Behaviors. In the current investigation, 203 male and female university students played an online version of the Dictator Game, for real money payoffs. All subjects and their parents were genotyped for AVPR1a RS1 & RS3 promoter-region repeat polymorphisms. Parents did not participate in online game playing. Since variation in the length of a repetitive element in the vole AVPR1a promoter region is associated with differences in social Behavior we examined the relationship between RS1 and RS3 repeat length (base pairs) and allocation sums. Participants with short versions (308-325 bp) of the AVPR1a RS3 repeat allocated significantly (Likelihood ratio=14.75, p=0.001, DF=2) fewer shekels to the 'other' than participants with long versions (327-343 bp). We also implemented a family-based association test, UNPHASED, to confirm and validate the correlation between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and monetary allocations in the Dictator Game. Dictator Game allocations were significantly associated with the RS3 repeat (global p value: Likelihood ratio chi-sq = 11.73, DF= 4, p-value = 0.019). The association between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and altruism was also confirmed using two self-report scales (the Bardi-Schwartz Universalism and Benevolence Value-Expressive Behavior Scales). RS3 long alleles were associated with higher scores on both measures. Finally, long AVPR1a RS3 repeats were associated with higher AVPR1a human postmortem hippocampal mRNA levels than short RS3 repeats (One way-ANOVA: F=15.04, p=0.001, DF= 14) suggesting a functional molecular genetic basis for the observation that participants with the long RS3 repeats allocate more money than participants with the short repeats. This is the first investigation showing that a common human polymorphism, with antecedents in lower mammals, contributes to decision making in an economic game. The finding that the same gene contributing to social bonding in lower animals also appears to operate similarly in human Behavior suggests a common evolutionary mechanism.
R Bachnermelman - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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individual differences in allocation of funds in the dictator game associated with length of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor rs3 promoter region and correlation between rs3 length and hippocampal mrna
Genes Brain and Behavior, 2008Co-Authors: A Knafo, S Israel, A Darvasi, R Bachnermelman, Florina Uzefovsky, L Cohen, E Feldman, E Lerer, E Laiba, Y RazAbstract:Human altruism is a widespread phenomenon that puzzled evolutionary biologists since Darwin. Economic games illustrate human altruism by showing that Behavior deviates from economic predictions of profit maximization. A game that most plainly shows this altruistic tendency is the Dictator Game. We hypothesized that human altruistic Behavior is to some extent hardwired and that a likely candidate that may contribute to individual differences in altruistic Behavior is the arginine vasopressin 1a (AVPR1a) receptor that in some mammals such as the vole has a profound impact on affiliative Behaviors. In the current investigation, 203 male and female university students played an online version of the Dictator Game, for real money payoffs. All subjects and their parents were genotyped for AVPR1a RS1 and RS3 promoter-region repeat polymorphisms. Parents did not participate in online game playing. As variation in the length of a repetitive element in the vole AVPR1a promoter region is associated with differences in social Behavior, we examined the relationship between RS1 and RS3 repeat length (base pairs) and allocation sums. Participants with short versions (308–325 bp) of the AVPR1a RS3 repeat allocated significantly (likelihood ratio = 14.75, P = 0.001, df = 2) fewer shekels to the ‘other’ than participants with long versions (327–343 bp). We also implemented a family-based association test, UNPHASED, to confirm and validate the correlation between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and monetary allocations in the dictator game. Dictator game allocations were significantly associated with the RS3 repeat (global P value: likelihood ratio χ2 = 11.73, df = 4, P = 0.019). The association between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and altruism was also confirmed using two self-report scales (the Bardi–Schwartz Universalism and Benevolence Value-Expressive Behavior scales). RS3 long alleles were associated with higher scores on both measures. Finally, long AVPR1a RS3 repeats were associated with higher AVPR1a human post-mortem hippocampal messenger RNA levels than short RS3 repeats (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA): F = 15.04, P = 0.001, df = 14) suggesting a functional molecular genetic basis for the observation that participants with the long RS3 repeats allocate more money than participants with the short repeats. This is the first investigation showing that a common human polymorphism, with antecedents in lower mammals, contributes to decision making in an economic game. The finding that the same gene contributing to social bonding in lower animals also appears to operate similarly in human Behavior suggests a common evolutionary mechanism.
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individual differences in allocation of funds in the dictator game associated with length of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor rs3 promoter region and correlation between rs3 length and hippocampal mrna
Genes Brain and Behavior, 2008Co-Authors: A Knafo, S Israel, A Darvasi, R Bachnermelman, Florina Uzefovsky, L Cohen, E Feldman, E Lerer, E Laiba, Y RazAbstract:Human altruism is a widespread phenomenon that puzzled evolutionary biologists since Darwin. Economic games illustrate human altruism by demonstrating that Behavior deviates from economic predictions of profit maximization. A game that most plainly demonstrates this altruistic tendency is the Dictator Game. We hypothesized that human altruistic Behavior is to some extent hardwired and that a likely candidate that may contribute to individual differences in altruistic Behavior is the arginine vasopressin 1a (AVPR1a) receptor that in some mammals such as the vole has a profound impact on affiliative Behaviors. In the current investigation, 203 male and female university students played an online version of the Dictator Game, for real money payoffs. All subjects and their parents were genotyped for AVPR1a RS1 & RS3 promoter-region repeat polymorphisms. Parents did not participate in online game playing. Since variation in the length of a repetitive element in the vole AVPR1a promoter region is associated with differences in social Behavior we examined the relationship between RS1 and RS3 repeat length (base pairs) and allocation sums. Participants with short versions (308-325 bp) of the AVPR1a RS3 repeat allocated significantly (Likelihood ratio=14.75, p=0.001, DF=2) fewer shekels to the 'other' than participants with long versions (327-343 bp). We also implemented a family-based association test, UNPHASED, to confirm and validate the correlation between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and monetary allocations in the Dictator Game. Dictator Game allocations were significantly associated with the RS3 repeat (global p value: Likelihood ratio chi-sq = 11.73, DF= 4, p-value = 0.019). The association between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and altruism was also confirmed using two self-report scales (the Bardi-Schwartz Universalism and Benevolence Value-Expressive Behavior Scales). RS3 long alleles were associated with higher scores on both measures. Finally, long AVPR1a RS3 repeats were associated with higher AVPR1a human postmortem hippocampal mRNA levels than short RS3 repeats (One way-ANOVA: F=15.04, p=0.001, DF= 14) suggesting a functional molecular genetic basis for the observation that participants with the long RS3 repeats allocate more money than participants with the short repeats. This is the first investigation showing that a common human polymorphism, with antecedents in lower mammals, contributes to decision making in an economic game. The finding that the same gene contributing to social bonding in lower animals also appears to operate similarly in human Behavior suggests a common evolutionary mechanism.
L Cohen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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individual differences in allocation of funds in the dictator game associated with length of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor rs3 promoter region and correlation between rs3 length and hippocampal mrna
Genes Brain and Behavior, 2008Co-Authors: A Knafo, S Israel, A Darvasi, R Bachnermelman, Florina Uzefovsky, L Cohen, E Feldman, E Lerer, E Laiba, Y RazAbstract:Human altruism is a widespread phenomenon that puzzled evolutionary biologists since Darwin. Economic games illustrate human altruism by showing that Behavior deviates from economic predictions of profit maximization. A game that most plainly shows this altruistic tendency is the Dictator Game. We hypothesized that human altruistic Behavior is to some extent hardwired and that a likely candidate that may contribute to individual differences in altruistic Behavior is the arginine vasopressin 1a (AVPR1a) receptor that in some mammals such as the vole has a profound impact on affiliative Behaviors. In the current investigation, 203 male and female university students played an online version of the Dictator Game, for real money payoffs. All subjects and their parents were genotyped for AVPR1a RS1 and RS3 promoter-region repeat polymorphisms. Parents did not participate in online game playing. As variation in the length of a repetitive element in the vole AVPR1a promoter region is associated with differences in social Behavior, we examined the relationship between RS1 and RS3 repeat length (base pairs) and allocation sums. Participants with short versions (308–325 bp) of the AVPR1a RS3 repeat allocated significantly (likelihood ratio = 14.75, P = 0.001, df = 2) fewer shekels to the ‘other’ than participants with long versions (327–343 bp). We also implemented a family-based association test, UNPHASED, to confirm and validate the correlation between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and monetary allocations in the dictator game. Dictator game allocations were significantly associated with the RS3 repeat (global P value: likelihood ratio χ2 = 11.73, df = 4, P = 0.019). The association between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and altruism was also confirmed using two self-report scales (the Bardi–Schwartz Universalism and Benevolence Value-Expressive Behavior scales). RS3 long alleles were associated with higher scores on both measures. Finally, long AVPR1a RS3 repeats were associated with higher AVPR1a human post-mortem hippocampal messenger RNA levels than short RS3 repeats (one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA): F = 15.04, P = 0.001, df = 14) suggesting a functional molecular genetic basis for the observation that participants with the long RS3 repeats allocate more money than participants with the short repeats. This is the first investigation showing that a common human polymorphism, with antecedents in lower mammals, contributes to decision making in an economic game. The finding that the same gene contributing to social bonding in lower animals also appears to operate similarly in human Behavior suggests a common evolutionary mechanism.
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individual differences in allocation of funds in the dictator game associated with length of the arginine vasopressin 1a receptor rs3 promoter region and correlation between rs3 length and hippocampal mrna
Genes Brain and Behavior, 2008Co-Authors: A Knafo, S Israel, A Darvasi, R Bachnermelman, Florina Uzefovsky, L Cohen, E Feldman, E Lerer, E Laiba, Y RazAbstract:Human altruism is a widespread phenomenon that puzzled evolutionary biologists since Darwin. Economic games illustrate human altruism by demonstrating that Behavior deviates from economic predictions of profit maximization. A game that most plainly demonstrates this altruistic tendency is the Dictator Game. We hypothesized that human altruistic Behavior is to some extent hardwired and that a likely candidate that may contribute to individual differences in altruistic Behavior is the arginine vasopressin 1a (AVPR1a) receptor that in some mammals such as the vole has a profound impact on affiliative Behaviors. In the current investigation, 203 male and female university students played an online version of the Dictator Game, for real money payoffs. All subjects and their parents were genotyped for AVPR1a RS1 & RS3 promoter-region repeat polymorphisms. Parents did not participate in online game playing. Since variation in the length of a repetitive element in the vole AVPR1a promoter region is associated with differences in social Behavior we examined the relationship between RS1 and RS3 repeat length (base pairs) and allocation sums. Participants with short versions (308-325 bp) of the AVPR1a RS3 repeat allocated significantly (Likelihood ratio=14.75, p=0.001, DF=2) fewer shekels to the 'other' than participants with long versions (327-343 bp). We also implemented a family-based association test, UNPHASED, to confirm and validate the correlation between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and monetary allocations in the Dictator Game. Dictator Game allocations were significantly associated with the RS3 repeat (global p value: Likelihood ratio chi-sq = 11.73, DF= 4, p-value = 0.019). The association between the AVPR1a RS3 repeat and altruism was also confirmed using two self-report scales (the Bardi-Schwartz Universalism and Benevolence Value-Expressive Behavior Scales). RS3 long alleles were associated with higher scores on both measures. Finally, long AVPR1a RS3 repeats were associated with higher AVPR1a human postmortem hippocampal mRNA levels than short RS3 repeats (One way-ANOVA: F=15.04, p=0.001, DF= 14) suggesting a functional molecular genetic basis for the observation that participants with the long RS3 repeats allocate more money than participants with the short repeats. This is the first investigation showing that a common human polymorphism, with antecedents in lower mammals, contributes to decision making in an economic game. The finding that the same gene contributing to social bonding in lower animals also appears to operate similarly in human Behavior suggests a common evolutionary mechanism.
