Display options
Cite
Kupferberg A, Hager OM, Fischbacher U, et al. Testing the social competition hypothesis of depression using a simple economic game. BJPsych Open. 2016;2(2):163-169doi: 10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001362.
Kupferberg, A., Hager, O. M., Fischbacher, U., Brändle, L. S., Haynes, M., & Hasler, G. (2016). Testing the social competition hypothesis of depression using a simple economic game. BJPsych open, 2(2), 163-169. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001362
Kupferberg, Aleksandra, et al. "Testing the social competition hypothesis of depression using a simple economic game." BJPsych open vol. 2,2 (2016): 163-169. doi: https://doi.org/10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001362
Kupferberg A, Hager OM, Fischbacher U, Brändle LS, Haynes M, Hasler G. Testing the social competition hypothesis of depression using a simple economic game. BJPsych Open. 2016 Mar 24;2(2):163-169. doi: 10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001362. eCollection 2016 Mar. PMID: 27703769; PMCID: PMC4995574.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

BJPsych Open. 2016 Mar 24;2(2):163-169. doi: 10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001362. eCollection 2016 Mar.

Testing the social competition hypothesis of depression using a simple economic game.

BJPsych open

Aleksandra Kupferberg, Oliver M Hager, Urs Fischbacher, Laura S Brändle, Melanie Haynes, Gregor Hasler

Affiliations

  1. , PhD, Psychiatric University Hospital, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
  2. , MSc, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Psychiatric Hospital; Laboratory for Social and Neural Systems Research, Department of Economics, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
  3. , Prof. Dr, Department of Economics, Economics University, Konstanz, Germany; Thurgau Institute of Economics, Kreuzlingen, Switzerland.
  4. , MSc.
  5. , DiplBiol.
  6. , MD, Prof., Psychiatric University Hospital, Division of Molecular Psychiatry, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.

PMID: 27703769 PMCID: PMC4995574 DOI: 10.1192/bjpo.bp.115.001362

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Price's social competition hypothesis interprets the depressive state as an unconscious, involuntary losing strategy, which enables individuals to yield and accept defeat in competitive situations.

AIMS: We investigated whether patients who suffer from major depressive disorder (MDD) would avoid competition more often than either patients suffering from borderline personality disorder (BPD) or healthy controls.

METHOD: In a simple paper-folding task healthy participants and patiens with MDD and BPD were matched with two opponents, one with an unknown diagnosis and one who shared their clinical diagnosis, and they had to choose either a competitive or cooperative payment scheme for task completion.

RESULTS: When playing against an unknown opponent, but not the opponent with the same diagnosis, the patients with depression chose the competitive payment scheme statistically less often than healthy controls and patients diagnosed with BPD.

CONCLUSION: The competition avoidance against the unknown opponent is consistent with Price's social competition hypothesis.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST: G.H. received research support, consulting fees and speaker honoraria from Lundbeck, AstraZeneca, Servier, Eli Lilly, Roche and Novartis.

COPYRIGHT AND USAGE: © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.

References

  1. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Feb;62(2):154-62 - PubMed
  2. Psychol Med. 1998 May;28(3):585-98 - PubMed
  3. Psychol Rev. 2009 Jul;116(3):620-54 - PubMed
  4. J Abnorm Psychol. 2013 May;122(2):322-38 - PubMed
  5. J Psychiatr Pract. 2009 Jul;15(4):289-305 - PubMed
  6. JAMA. 2003 Jun 18;289(23):3095-105 - PubMed
  7. Arch Esp Urol. 2013 Sep;66(7):729-36 - PubMed
  8. Brain Behav. 2012 Jul;2(4):415-23 - PubMed
  9. J Pers Disord. 2003 Jun;17(3):233-42 - PubMed
  10. Am J Psychiatry. 1997 Oct;154(10):1405-11 - PubMed
  11. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 1971 Apr;41(3):390-405 - PubMed
  12. J Psychiatr Res. 2008 Nov;43(1):76-87 - PubMed
  13. Am J Psychiatry. 1995 Jul;152(7):1026-32 - PubMed
  14. J Affect Disord. 2008 Mar;106(3):219-28 - PubMed
  15. J Affect Disord. 2000 Sep;59(3):205-15 - PubMed
  16. Psychol Med. 1995 Jan;25(1):7-21 - PubMed
  17. Psychol Psychother. 2009 Jun;82(Pt 2):123-36 - PubMed
  18. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2001 Apr;69(2):284-94 - PubMed
  19. J Abnorm Psychol. 2011 Nov;120(4):962-8 - PubMed
  20. Clin Psychol Rev. 1998 Nov;18(7):765-94 - PubMed
  21. Am J Psychiatry. 1998 Aug;155(8):1092-6 - PubMed
  22. J Affect Disord. 2013 Sep 25;150(3):1184-7 - PubMed
  23. J Pers Assess. 1996 Dec;67(3):588-97 - PubMed
  24. Am J Psychiatry. 2011 Mar;168(3):257-64 - PubMed
  25. Am J Psychiatry. 1984 Jan;141(1):74-6 - PubMed
  26. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1998 Jan;74(1):139-58 - PubMed
  27. Horm Behav. 2006 Dec;50(5):684-92 - PubMed
  28. Am J Psychiatry. 2010 Jan;167(1):24-39 - PubMed
  29. Curr Drug Targets. 2014;15(9):901-14 - PubMed
  30. PLoS Med. 2006 Nov;3(11):e442 - PubMed
  31. Br J Psychiatry. 1979 Apr;134:382-9 - PubMed
  32. Br J Clin Psychol. 1997 Nov;36 ( Pt 4):467-88 - PubMed
  33. J Neurosci Methods. 2007 Sep 30;165(2):175-82 - PubMed
  34. Compr Psychiatry. 2003 Jul-Aug;44(4):277-83 - PubMed
  35. Can J Psychiatry. 2011 Dec;56(12):716-26 - PubMed
  36. J Affect Disord. 2004 Apr;79(1-3):1-11 - PubMed
  37. PLoS One. 2014 Jul 01;9(7):e100318 - PubMed
  38. Mol Psychiatry. 2011 Jun;16(6):604-19 - PubMed
  39. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2013 Apr;127(4):305-17 - PubMed
  40. Br J Psychiatry. 1994 Mar;164(3):309-15 - PubMed
  41. Behav Pharmacol. 2005 Dec;16(8):657-64 - PubMed
  42. Compr Psychiatry. 1999 Jan-Feb;40(1):24-30 - PubMed
  43. J Affect Disord. 2002 Oct;72(1):1-14 - PubMed
  44. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2004 Oct;29(10):1765-81 - PubMed
  45. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2007 Aug;35(4):567-77 - PubMed
  46. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988 Jun;54(6):1063-70 - PubMed
  47. Arch Intern Med. 2002 Dec 9-23;162(22):2614-20 - PubMed

Publication Types