Increased cooperative behavior across remitted bipolar i disorder and major depression: Insights utilizing a behavioral economic trust game

Abstract

Mood disorders impact social functioning, but might contribute to experiences-like affective distress- that might result in increased cooperative behavior under certain circumstances. We recruited participants with a history of bipolar I disorder (n = 28), major depressive disorder (n = 30), and healthy controls (n = 27)-to play a well-validated behavioral economic Trust Game, a task that provides a wellcontrolled experimental scenario, to measure cooperative behavior for the first time across both groups. Both remitted mood-disordered groups cooperated significantly more than the control group, but did not differ from one another. These results suggest that, in some contexts, a history of mood disturbance can produce enhanced cooperation, even in the absence of current mood symptoms. We discuss the clinical significance of enhanced cooperation in mood disorders and point to key directions for future research. General Scientific Summary Individuals with mood disorders suffer disruptions in social functioning, but under the right circumstances, might also display more prosocial behaviors. We find that individuals in remission from bipolar I disorder and major depressive disorder cooperated more in an economic game than individuals with no such history. The results suggest that in some contexts, a history of clinical mood disturbance generates increases in some forms of prosocial behavior, even in the absence of current mood symptoms.