A neuroeconomic investigation of / gene variation, social anxiety, and risk-taking behavior.

Although approaches combining behavioral genetics and neuroeconomics have advanced models of addiction, no study has synthesized these methods to elucidate mechanisms of competing risk-approachand risk-avoidance in social anxiety (SA). Grounded in dual-mode models of serotonergic systems and self-regulation, this study investigated associations between SA, serotonin transporter (LPR; rs25531) and receptor genes, and risk-taking on behavioral and self-report measures. Young adults (= 309) completed a neuroeconomic task measuring gambling attractiveness (), reward probability discrimination (), and risk attitudes (). Risk genotypes included (LPR; rs25531) low-expression variants (SS/SL/LL), and (rs6295) GG. Path analysis revealed that SA related to increased gambling attractiveness, but only for risk groups. Although the (LPR; rs25531) risk genotypes and self-reported SA predicted lower social risk-taking, high-SA individuals who exhibited more accurate reward probability discrimination () reported taking increased social risks. In line with dual-mode models, results suggest that SA predicts behavioral risk-approach at the basic decision-making level, along with self-reported social risk-avoidance, modulated by serotonergic genotypes. High-SA individuals with more accurate assessments of reward probabilities may engage in greater social risk-taking, perhaps reflecting an adaptive tendency to approach feared situations.