Scientists are renowned for being a little singular . In case that was n’t clear enough , a group of neuroscientists has now show the neurological bodily function of other neuroscientist looking at neuroscience journals .
As self - referentially absurd as that sounds , it was really part of a cogitation in the journalPLOS ONEthat see at the what gets scientist ' brains click ; money , or a mention in a prestigious journal ?
Importantly , it wanted to discover how the reward system of rules of the brain can conform in reply to different social and cultural paradigms . " One man ’s treasure is another man ’s applesauce , " as they say . For example , although the pretty " universal " wants of solid food , sleep , and sexual urge appear to exceed cultures , a breifcase full of cash bills belike would n’t do much for a caveman ’s reward system .
The group , from the University of Lübeck , also search at whether scientists are guided by the incentive of Journal Impact Factor ( JFI ) . JFI is the measure of a daybook ’s eminence by face at the medium identification number of credit a journal ’s papers get each twelvemonth . Even though many criticize the utility of JFI to reflect a journal ’s donnish or scientific timbre , the study hoped to see if the idea of a scientist ’s name sport on a in high spirits JFI daybook still buzz off their brain ’s advantage nerve center ( i.e. their core group accumbens ) pump .
Part of the study involve redact neuroscientist under the watchful center of a usable charismatic sonority imaging ( fMRI ) machine . They render neuroscientists two dissimilar set of double : one showing varying amounts of money ( low , medium and high ) and one prove mock - ups of their names on scientific papers with varying JFIs ( also low , intermediate and high-pitched ) .
The result showed more activity in the lens nucleus accumbens when show their name smooth in a honored daybook over productive stacks of cash .
read a little pinch from the realm of microeconomics , the scientists state socio - economical behavior is a reply to incentives that we matter up against the negative . However , for most of society , it is think that money guides and define behavior on the labor market , but for those working in pedantic science , the up-to-dateness is all about JFI .
As the study allege , “ From a broader linear perspective , our study show how the advantage arrangement sensitively adapts to the new and forthcoming substitution class in society , and help to provide an understanding of persistence and success in a highly competitive surroundings . ”
See , it was n’t just an in - joke after all .
Image credit : University of Lübeck
