A study of 48 college-aged women at Dartmouth University has revealed that brain scans can predict some future behaviors, such as excessive eating or sexual activity, as far out as six months in advance.
Dartmouth psychologist Bill Kelley revealed the study’s findings to LiveScience.com this week.
Kelley said that by studying the brain’s reward center, as people were shown images of food and sex, researchers were able to predict which among them would engage in sexual activity or gain weight in the six months that followed.
The study also said that personal responsibility and self discipline vary from person to person and some women may just be more capable than others in overriding their own behavioral tendencies.
In addition to brain scans, medical professionals use the DSM IV manual to diagnose conditions, which is the standard classification of mental disorders.