An American investigation shows that the advice of experts can "switch off" the areas responsible for decision-making in our brain, especially when we try to assess financial risks . Details are published in PloS One magazine.
To reach this conclusion, neuroeconomics expert Gregory Berns of Emory University organized an experiment with volunteers who had to choose, sometimes on their own and sometimes with expert advice, between charging a guaranteed sum and paying participation in a lottery. While making the decision, his brain was scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).
The scientists observed with some surprise that when the participants of the experiment listened to the advice of the experts, the areas of the brain in charge of decision-making were disconnected due to the confidence in the financial authority before them. Even when the experts proposed measures that were too conservative, which meant less profit.
" Our brain avoids responsibility when we receive advice from a trusted expert," says Berns, who warns of the danger that this poses if "we trust an incompetent or a corrupt person."
