Research Café 1 (2011) – Prof John Stein: a neuroscientific perspective

“We know people have different traits: there are risk takers versus cautious people, self confident people versus doubting people… What we’re interested in as neuroscientists is how the brain (triggers) those traits.”

John Stein, Professor of Physiology, Magdalen College Oxford, provides a neuroscientific context for hubris.

Speaking at the Daedalus Trust / Brain Mind Forum Research Café, held 7 October 2011, Magdalen College, Oxford.

“If something goes wrong in the amygdaloid nucleus of the brain, you’re not going to be able to function socially completely normally. … Neuroscience needs to answer: how do we make decisions?”

“We know people have different traits: there are risk takers versus cautious people, self confident people versus doubting people, there are leaders versus people who follow the crowd. What we’re interested in as neuroscientists is how the brain (triggers) those traits.”