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Neuroeconomics

Best to go with what you know?

Nature volume 441, pages 822–823 (2006)Cite this article

In a changing world, how do we decide our best option? How do we settle between picking something familiar or trying out a new, possibly more rewarding, choice?

You step into a music store: how do you choose which CD to buy? If you pick something by your favourite composer, Schubert say, you know you will enjoy it. But you might want to expand your repertoire by trying a less familiar piece, for example Mahler's symphony No. 10. You might not like it; on the other hand, you might discover a new favourite. So how do you decide between sticking with what you know and like, and trying something more adventurous that might prove even more rewarding? On page 876 of this issue, Daw et al.1 provide valuable insight into how people balance the two basic impulses of exploiting what they know and exploring new options.

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Figure 1: The contribution of exploration to making a decision.

LEBRECHT MUSIC & ARTS PHOTO LIBRARY/ALAMY; AKG-IMAGES/E. LESSING

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  1. Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, Rochester, 14627, New York, USA

    Daeyeol Lee

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  1. Daeyeol Lee
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Lee, D. Best to go with what you know?. Nature 441, 822–823 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/441822a

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