The Anything Blog
NBA MVP RACE The race for the 2022-23 NBA Most Valuable Player title has centered around the impressive performances of Joel Embid, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. The neuroscience of values and decision-making reveals that human values emerge from the interplay of three large-scale neural systems: sensory-motor, emotion-reward, and knowledge-meaning systems. Phrases commonly used by NBA enthusiasts, such as "the eye test" and "great handle," underscore the importance of sensory-motor aspects of the game. Advertisers leverage the appeal of attractive celebrities to capture our attention and influence our preferences. Meanwhile, scientific experiments suggest that if all three MVP contenders are of comparable worth, the more exposure a viewer has to a particular player, the more likely they are to favor that individual. The emotion-reward system pertains to the various ways in which a complex experience can elicit emotional responses, and the "narrative...