Exploring the neurochemistry of fairness

[TetsuoShima]

Interesting observations, though (aside from the 'chemicals' involved) nothing especially innovative (to me at least), since I'd respond quite similarly to what they observed in their test subjects.

 

At its heart, the UG represents a peek into notions of fairness and how we police them. In purely economic terms, any offer should be accepted, since some money is better than none. But humans don't display rational economic behavior here. They're generally happy to accept a deal that's within 10 percent of an even split of the money. But their actions appear dominated by a sense of fairness, as rejection rates climb to over 50 percent by the time an offer drops to 30 percent of the total cash. The response also suggests a social dimension, as people are willing to punish the perceived unfairness in others, despite the personal cost.

 

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080608-exploring-the-neurochemistry-of-fairness.html