Can the mind be understood as a muscle? Both embodiment theorists and cognitive scientists have proposed that the architecture of the mind is flexible and adaptable. This proposition implies that cognitions can be shaped through repeated bodily actions and modal simulations, making them physically embodied at the brain level. To explore this notion, a measure of cortical thickness is extracted from anatomical brain scans to test whether cortical thickness is correlated with choice (here, in the domain of fast food). Results revealed that consumers’ large-sized fast-food choices are significantly correlated with the cortical thickness of structures in the prefrontal cortex and that this association holds even for cases in which the participants were offered a possible monetary incentive to choose a smaller-sized portion. Body mass index, age, and sex were not correlated with cortical thickness or portion choice in the present data set. In summary, this work provides preliminary insights into the possible existence of a malleable, muscle-like brain, which would support the idea that cognitions are grounded in a plastic sensory system and subject to repeated bodily actions and modal simulations.

中文翻译：

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决策肌肉？选择更多的食物（尽管有减少吃的动机）与大脑皮质厚度的关系。

心智可以理解为肌肉吗？具身理论家和认知科学家都提出，心智的结构是灵活和适应性强的。这个命题意味着认知可以通过重复的身体动作和模态模拟来塑造，使它们在大脑水平上物理体现。为了探索这个概念，从解剖大脑扫描中提取了皮质厚度的测量值，以测试皮质厚度是否与选择相关（这里是在快餐领域）。结果显示，消费者的大份快餐选择与前额叶皮层结构的皮质厚度显着相关，即使在向参与者提供可能的金钱激励以选择小份快餐的情况下，这种关联也成立. 体重指数、年龄、在本数据集中，性别与皮质厚度或部分选择无关。总而言之，这项工作提供了对可能存在可塑的肌肉状大脑的初步见解，这将支持认知基于塑料感觉系统并受到重复身体动作和模态模拟的观点。