Blunted neural responses to monetary risk in high sensation seekers

The sensation-seeking trait is a valid predictor of various risk-taking behaviors. However, the neural underpinnings of risk processing in sensation seeking are yet unclear. The present event-related potential (ERP) study examined electrophysiological correlates associated with different stages of risky reward processing in sensation seeking. Twenty-one high sensation seekers (HSS) and 22 low sensation seekers (LSS) performed a simple two-choice gambling task. Behaviorally, whereas LSS exhibited a risk-averse pattern, HSS showed a risk-neutral pattern. During the anticipation stage, an increased stimulus-preceding negativity was elicited by high-risk compared to low-risk choices in LSS but not in HSS. During the outcome-appraisal stage, the feedback-related negativity, when calculated as the difference between losses and gains, was enhanced in response to the high-risk versus low-risk outcomes, which appeared for LSS but not for HSS. Further, HSS as compared to LSS exhibited a diminished P300 to both gains and losses. These findings suggest that risk-taking behavior in sensation seeking is expressed as blunted neural responses to risk in the anticipation stage and in the outcome-appraisal stage, which represents a candidate target for drug prevention. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Exploring Metaverse Addiction: Lenses of Technology Affordance and Compensatory Actualization

As technology further evolves, the metaverse is becoming an increasingly plausible reality. In this process, it is crucial to consider potential risks that come with its development. This study focuses on the potential risk of metaverse addiction and considers the influencing factors from the perspective of technology affordance and virtual reality compensatory effect. Mainly, we identify metaverse affordances based on key characteristics (i.e., accessibility, immersion, spatiotemporality, sustainability, interoperability, and scalability). It also highlights two kinds of affordance actualization factors (i.e., escapism and digital perfectionism) that arise from virtual reality compensatory theory. The research model suggests that metaverse affordance is actualized through compensation, ultimately forming reliance behavior like an addiction. This conceptual research potentially contributes to further investigation of the dark side of the metaverse and provides insights into research considering the compensatory effects to mitigate potential risks and ensure the healthy development of the metaverse