From behavioural economics to neuroeconomics to decision neuroscience: the ascent of biology in research on human decision making

- Neuroeconomics aims at providing a neural foundation for economic models of choice.
- It has helped discriminating between different candidate theories (model selection).
- Recently choice heterogeneity has emerged that existing theories cannot explain.
- Many aspects of choice heterogeneity have clear biological markers.
- Decision neuroscience aims at developing a biology-centred theory of choice.

Here, we briefly review the evolution of research on human decision-making over the past few decades. We discern a trend whereby biology moves from subserving economics (neuroeconomics), to providing the data that advance our knowledge of the nature of human decision-making (decision neuroscience). Examples illustrate that the integration of behavioural and biological models is fruitful especially for understanding heterogeneity of choice in humans.