Dopamine and risk choices in different domains: Findings among serious tournament bridge players

Anna Dreber; David G. Rand; Nils Wernerfelt; Justin R. Garcia; Miguel G. Vilar; J. Koji Lum; Richard Zeckhauser

doi:10.1007/s11166-011-9119-z

Dopamine and risk choices in different domains: Findings among serious tournament bridge players

Anna Dreber, David G. Rand, Nils Wernerfelt, Justin R. Garcia, Miguel G. Vilar, J. Koji Lum, Richard Zeckhauser^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

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Abstract

We explore how risk-taking in the card game contract bridge, and in a financial gamble, correlate with variation in the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) among serious tournament bridge players. In bridge risk-taking, we find significant interactions between genetic predisposition and skill. Among men with the 7-repeat allele of DRD4, namely 7R+ men, those with more bridge skill take more good risks and fewer bad risks, while the opposite is found for less-expert 7R+ men. Conversely, skill does not predict risk-taking among men without the 7R+ allele. Consistent with some prior studies, we also find that 7R+ men take more risk in the financial gamble. We find no relationship between 7R+ and either risk measure among our female subjects. Our results suggest that the dopamine system plays an important role in individual differences in risk-taking among men, and is the first to distinguish between advantageous and disadvantageous risk-taking.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	19-38
Number of pages	20
Journal	Journal of Risk and Uncertainty
Volume	43
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11166-011-9119-z
State	Published - Aug 2011

Funding

Acknowledgments We thank the study participants at the Fall 2008 North American Bridge Championship in Boston, MA and Mark Aquino, president of the host Eastern Massachusetts Bridge Association, for making this study possible. We thank Rita Spathis and Alexandra Taylor for valuable laboratory assistance, and Nathan Lord for valuable assistance with data collection. We thank Johan Almenberg, Suzanne Cooper, Magnus Johannesson, Dan Levy, Kip Viscusi (the editor), an anonymous referee, and seminar participants at Harvard Kennedy School, Olin Business School, Simon Fraser University, Stockholm University, the 4th Nordic Conference on Behavioral and Experimental Economics, the 2010 Economic Science Association World Meeting and the Workshop on Biological Basis of Behavioral Economics for helpful comments, and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society for funding. DGR is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, and NW gratefully acknowledges funding from the NSF.

Keywords

Advantageous risks
Contract bridge
DRD4
Dopamine
Risk preferences
Risk-taking

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Accounting
Finance
Economics and Econometrics

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Cite this

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title = "Dopamine and risk choices in different domains: Findings among serious tournament bridge players",

abstract = "We explore how risk-taking in the card game contract bridge, and in a financial gamble, correlate with variation in the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) among serious tournament bridge players. In bridge risk-taking, we find significant interactions between genetic predisposition and skill. Among men with the 7-repeat allele of DRD4, namely 7R+ men, those with more bridge skill take more good risks and fewer bad risks, while the opposite is found for less-expert 7R+ men. Conversely, skill does not predict risk-taking among men without the 7R+ allele. Consistent with some prior studies, we also find that 7R+ men take more risk in the financial gamble. We find no relationship between 7R+ and either risk measure among our female subjects. Our results suggest that the dopamine system plays an important role in individual differences in risk-taking among men, and is the first to distinguish between advantageous and disadvantageous risk-taking.",

keywords = "Advantageous risks, Contract bridge, DRD4, Dopamine, Risk preferences, Risk-taking",

author = "Anna Dreber and Rand, {David G.} and Nils Wernerfelt and Garcia, {Justin R.} and Vilar, {Miguel G.} and Lum, {J. Koji} and Richard Zeckhauser",

note = "Funding Information: Acknowledgments We thank the study participants at the Fall 2008 North American Bridge Championship in Boston, MA and Mark Aquino, president of the host Eastern Massachusetts Bridge Association, for making this study possible. We thank Rita Spathis and Alexandra Taylor for valuable laboratory assistance, and Nathan Lord for valuable assistance with data collection. We thank Johan Almenberg, Suzanne Cooper, Magnus Johannesson, Dan Levy, Kip Viscusi (the editor), an anonymous referee, and seminar participants at Harvard Kennedy School, Olin Business School, Simon Fraser University, Stockholm University, the 4th Nordic Conference on Behavioral and Experimental Economics, the 2010 Economic Science Association World Meeting and the Workshop on Biological Basis of Behavioral Economics for helpful comments, and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society for funding. DGR is supported by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, and NW gratefully acknowledges funding from the NSF.",

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AU - Lum, J. Koji

AU - Zeckhauser, Richard

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N2 - We explore how risk-taking in the card game contract bridge, and in a financial gamble, correlate with variation in the dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) among serious tournament bridge players. In bridge risk-taking, we find significant interactions between genetic predisposition and skill. Among men with the 7-repeat allele of DRD4, namely 7R+ men, those with more bridge skill take more good risks and fewer bad risks, while the opposite is found for less-expert 7R+ men. Conversely, skill does not predict risk-taking among men without the 7R+ allele. Consistent with some prior studies, we also find that 7R+ men take more risk in the financial gamble. We find no relationship between 7R+ and either risk measure among our female subjects. Our results suggest that the dopamine system plays an important role in individual differences in risk-taking among men, and is the first to distinguish between advantageous and disadvantageous risk-taking.

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Dopamine and risk choices in different domains: Findings among serious tournament bridge players

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