Novelty

The central nervous system has evolved to attend to and approach novel stimuli in the environment. Among developing mammals, novelty seeking becomes especially pronounced during the periadolescent period, which serves to promote independence and mate selection. Novelty seeking is associated with various brain neurotransmitter systems, including the biogenic amines and amino acid neurotransmitters. In humans, evidence indicates that individual differences in novelty seeking are associated with various risk-related negative health outcomes such as drug abuse. Individual differences in novelty seeking are determined by both genetic and environmental influences. Adaptive inhibitory brain systems play a role in moderating novelty-seeking behavior.