Sense of Adventure Rests in Primitive Brain Region

Your sense of adventure comes from a primitive area of the brain called the ventral striatum, British researchers say.

Scientists from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging at University College London used fMRI to track brain activity in volunteers and found the ventral striatum was activated when participants chose unfamiliar items over familiar ones. This may be an evolutionary feature shared by many animals, the researchers said.

"Seeking new and unfamiliar experiences is a fundamental behavioral tendency in humans and animals," Dr. Bianca Wittmann said in a prepared statement.

"It makes sense to try new options, as they may prove advantageous in the long run. For example, a monkey who chooses to deviate from its diet of bananas, even if this involves moving to an unfamiliar part of the forest and eating a new type of food, may find its diet enriched and more nutritious," she said.

The ventral stratium ...