Opting for smaller rewards immediately instead of waiting for bigger payoffs later is associated with problems such as impulsivity and addiction to food, drugs and alcohol. School of Medicine researchers led by Andrey Anokhin, PhD, report that such decision-making tendencies have a genetic link to brain pathways that underlie those disorders.

What happens when seasoned travelers sign up for, but don’t receive, customer loyalty rewards? New research from Cynthia Cryder, PhD, of Olin Business School, shows the fiercest road warriors might be the most likely to turn on their favorite companies when they don’t achieve those all-important incentive goals.

Five faculty members have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program grants to study abroad during the 2015-16 academic year. They are: Petra Levin, PhD, Timothy Parsons, PhD, Guillermo Rosas, PhD, and Edythe E. Weeks, JD, PhD, all in Arts & Sciences; and Jesse Vogler, of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

U.S. health-care spending grew 5.3 percent last year, a new federal report shows. But more and better health care isn’t enough to advance better overall health and to address health disparities, said Jason Purnell, PhD, of the Brown School. He wrote a chapter in the new book “What It’s Worth: Strengthening the Financial Future of Families, Communities, and the Nation.”