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Beyond uncertainty: A broader scope for “incentive hope” mechanisms and its implications

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 March 2019

Omer Linkovski
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. olinkovski@gmail.com
Noam Weinbach
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa 3498838, Israel. noam.weinbach@gmail.com
Shimon Edelman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853. se37@cornell.edu
Marcus W. Feldman
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. Marcusmfeldman@stanford.edu
Arnon Lotem
Affiliation:
School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv 39040, Israel. lotem@post.tau.ac.il
Oren Kolodny
Affiliation:
Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. Marcusmfeldman@stanford.edu Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel. renkolodny@gmail.com

Abstract

We propose that food-related uncertainty is but one of multiple cues that predicts harsh conditions and may activate “incentive hope.” An evolutionarily adaptive response to these would have been to shift to a behavioral-metabolic phenotype geared toward facing hardship. In modernity, this phenotype may lead to pathologies such as obesity and hoarding. Our perspective suggests a novel therapeutic approach.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019 

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