Scientists have identified a primitive area of the brain that makes us adventurous -- a finding which may help explain why people routinely fall for "new" products when shopping.

Using brain scans to measure blood flow, British researchers discovered that a brain region known as the ventral striatum was more active when subjects chose unusual objects in controlled tests.

The ventral striatum is involved in processing rewards in the brain through the release of neurotransmitters like dopamine.

Scientists believe the existence of this age-old reward mechanism indicates there is an evolutionary advantage in sampling the unknown.

"Seeking new and unfamiliar experiences is a fundamental behavioral tendency in humans and animals. It makes sense to try new options as they may prove advantageous in the long run," said Bianca Wittmann of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London.

Being daring, however, also carries risks. Some choices could be dangerous and, in the modern world, selecting the new may, for instance, make consumers susceptible to marketing hype.

The positive feedback system in the brain could also contribute to some common vices.

"In humans, increased novelty-seeking may play a role in gambling and drug addiction, both of which are mediated by malfunctions in dopamine release," said Nathaniel Daw, now at New York University, who also worked on the study.

The findings were published online in the journal Neuron.

科學家發現，大腦內有一個原始的區域能使我們愛上冒險——這項發現也許可以解釋，為什么購物時人們總是喜歡買“新”產品。

英國研究人員用腦部掃描儀測量受試者的血流后發現，當人們在受控測試中選擇了不同尋常的物品時，腦部的腹側紋狀體變得更加活躍了。

腹側紋狀體通過釋放神經傳遞素，例如多巴胺，來完成大腦區域中獎勵認知功能。

科學家認為，腦部這種古老的獎勵機制在嘗試未知事物方面有進化優勢。

“尋找新的、陌生的經驗是人類和動物的一種基本行為趨勢。因為嘗試新東西在長遠來看是有優勢的，這種行為是有意義的，” 位于倫敦大學學院的維康基金會神經造影中心的比安卡•威特曼說。

然而，行為勇敢也是有風險的。有些選擇是危險的，比如，在現代社會，人們可能因為喜歡新產品而對商家設置的陷阱缺乏防備。

腦部的積極反饋機制也會讓人們沾染上某些不良的行為習慣。

“在人類社會，尋求新奇事物可能導致賭博和吸毒成癮，這兩種行為可以通過使多巴胺分泌失調的方式得以緩解，” 紐約大學的納撒尼爾•多說。他曾經參與此項研究。

這份研究報告發表在《神經元》網絡雜志上。