Brain May Be ‘Hard-Wired’ for Hierarchy

People respond to the prospect of a rise or fall in rank — or social status — as much as they do to a monetary reward, U.S. researchers said.

Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health found that different brain areas are activated when a person moves up or down in a pecking order, or simply views perceived social superiors or inferiors. Circuitry activated by important events responded to a potential change in hierarchical status as much as it did to winning money.

Our position in social hierarchies strongly influences motivation as well as physical and mental health, Dr. Thomas R Insel, director of NIMH said in a statement. This first glimpse into how the brain processes that information advances our understanding of an important factor that can impact public health.

The researchers created an artificial social hierarchy in which 72 participants played an interactive computer game for money and they were assigned a status based on playing skill, when in reality, the game outcomes were predetermined.

The study, published in the journal Neuron, found the participants’ brain activity and behavior were highly influenced by their position in the implied hierarchy.