Force of habit: Stress hormones switch off areas of the brain for goal-directed behaviour

Force of habit: Stress hormones switch off areas of the brain for goal-directed behaviour: Cognition psychologists have discovered why stressed persons are more likely to lapse back into habits than to behave goal-directed. Neuroscientists have mimicked a stress situation in the body using drugs. They then examined the brain activity using functional MRI scanning. The researchers have now reported that the interaction of the stress hormones hydrocortisone and noradrenaline shut down the activity of brain regions for goal-directed behavior. The brain regions responsible for habitual behavior remained unaffected.