The Brain on Trial. Advances in brain science are calling into question the volition behind many criminal acts. A leading neuroscientist describes how the foundations of our criminal-justice system are beginning to crumble, and proposes a new way forward for law and order.

"We may someday find that many types of bad behavior have a basic biological explanation—as has happened with schizophrenia, epilepsy, depression, and mania."

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posted by Eideteker on Jul 15, 2011 - 99 comments

Full Bladder, Better Decisions? Study says controlling your bladder decreases impulsive choices.
posted by Fizz on Mar 7, 2011 - 34 comments

Neuroeconomics: "Eventually it could help economists design incentives that gently guide people toward making decisions that are in their long-term best interests in everything from labor negotiations to diets to 401(k) plans." Note the ambiguous use of the pronoun "their"--are we talking about the long-term interests of people in general or of economists?
posted by all-seeing eye dog on Mar 22, 2005 - 25 comments

Choosers Can Be Beggars: Can Too Much Choice Be A Bad Thing? So many options, so little time to choose! So many potential mistakes to be made. Here's a good set of relevant links, for those who'd like to read more. [More inside.]
posted by MiguelCardoso on Mar 14, 2004 - 19 comments