(Press-News.org) When faced with threat, people who grew up poor are more likely to make risky financial choices in search of a quick windfall, according to new research from the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Management.
Published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, "The Influence of Mortality and Socioeconomic Status on Risk and Delayed Rewards: A Life History Approach" by Carlson School assistant professor of marketing Vladas Griskevicius found that people respond to feeling threatened differently depending on whether people grew up in relatively resource-scarce or resource-plentiful environments.
The studies, which built upon earlier research on how mortality cues influence reproductive timings, found those who grew up resource deprived or felt poor were more likely to take risks for immediate rewards when they felt threatened. Subjects who were raised in a more predictable world never worrying about their needs responded to the same stressors by becoming more cautious.
"You can have two people who appear identical, but if they see that the world is a dangerous place such as by seeing news coverage of a new terrorist attack, they'll diverge in how they respond," Griskevicius says. "The difference between the two people is that they had a different socioeconomic experience growing up."
According to Griskevicius, a prototypical example of the findings is a kid who grows up in a bad neighborhood. "If he hears gunshots down the street, this triggers a 'live fast and die young' psychology. He will feel the urge to get what he can while he can because the future is uncertain." This response is likely related to why poorer individuals purchase more lottery tickets.
The research also suggests that efforts using a "you never know what's going to happen tomorrow" approach to persuade at-risk kids to stay in school or avoid risky behaviors might be ineffective.
"Why should I go to school if I might not be around to see the benefits of my education?" Griskevicius asks. "Perhaps a more effective strategy would be to highlight the predictable aspects of the world. "It's a sense of the predictability of the world that's going to get people to save money, stay in school, be less risky and care about the future."
###
Co-authors of the study are Joshua Tybur (VU University Amsterdam) and Andrew Delton and Theresa Robertson (University of California, Santa Barbara).
About the Carlson School of Management
Established in 1919 and based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota is a recognized leader in business education and research. Its focus on experiential learning, international education and maintaining strong ties to the business community exemplify the school's commitment to excellence. More information about the school can be found at www.carlsonschool.umn.edu.
Socioeconomic status as child dictates response to stress as adult
Exposure to danger leads those who grew up poor to gamble for immediate rewards
2011-07-07
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Berkeley Lab researchers apply NMR/MRI to microfluidic chromatography
2011-07-07
By pairing an award-winning remote-detection version of NMR/MRI technology with a unique version of chromatography specifically designed for microfluidic chips, researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have opened the door to a portable system for highly sensitive multi-dimensional chemical analysis that would be impractical if not impossible with conventional technologies.
Alexander Pines, a faculty senior scientist in Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division and the Glenn T. Seaborg Professor of Chemistry ...
Atlanta SEO Company Cardinal Web Solutions Publishes Article Explaining Google +1 Button
2011-07-07
Atlanta SEO company Cardinal Web Solutions has published an original article on the Google +1 button, and its potential effect on search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising. This most recent article is part of an ongoing effort by Cardinal Web Solutions to keep business owners informed on changes in the industry that could affect their Internet marketing campaigns.
The +1 button, which Google has explained will be used to connect users with more relevant content, is viewed by the industry as Google's response to Facebook's "Like" button. The +1 ...
Climate change forces early spring
2011-07-07
Spring is hailed as the season of rebirth, but if it comes too early, it can threaten the plants it is meant to welcome.
A University of Alberta study shows that climate change over the past 70 years has pushed some of the province's native wildflowers and trees into earlier blooming times, making them more vulnerable to damaging frosts, and ultimately, threatening reproduction.
U of A PhD candidate Elisabeth Beaubien and her supervisor, professor Andreas Hamann of the Department of Renewable Resources, studied the life cycle of central Alberta spring blooms, spanning ...
A mother's salt intake could be key to prenatal kidney development
2011-07-07
Bethesda, Md. (July 6, 2011) – A new animal study from Europe has drawn an association between pregnant mothers' sodium intake and their newborn's kidney development. Among the most significant aspects of the study's findings is that either too much or too little salt during pregnancy had an adverse effect on the prenatal development of the offspring's kidneys. The consequence of such disruption can lead to high blood pressure in later years.
These are the conclusions reached in the study, "Both High and Low Maternal Salt Intake in Pregnancy Alters Kidney Development ...
Nano detector for deadly anthrax
2011-07-07
An automatic and portable detector that takes just fifteen minutes to analyze a sample suspected of contamination with anthrax is being developed by US researchers. The technology amplifies any anthrax DNA present in the sample and can reveal the presence of just 40 microscopic cells of the deadly bacteria Bacillus anthracis.
B. anthracis, commonly known as anthrax, is a potentially lethal microbe that might be used intentionally to infect victims through contamination of food and water supplies, aerosolized particles, or even dried powders, such as those used in bioterrorist ...
GEN point of view article questions reported costs of drug R&D
2011-07-07
New Rochelle, NY, July 6, 2011—A policy specialist and a healthcare economist both say that the oft-quoted cost of $1.32 billion to bring a new drug to market does not hold up to close scrutiny, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). The researchers emphasize that available cost data cannot be trusted because the numbers are subject to numerous internal and external sources of variability, according to the July issue of GEN (http://www.genengnews.com/gen-articles/drug-r-d-costs-questioned/3707).
"With heated discussions still taking place over healthcare ...
Simpsonville Hotel Provides a Special Rate to Fans Attending Miranda Lambert at Charter Amphitheatre
2011-07-07
Holiday Inn Express Hotel Simpsonville provides a special rate for guests attending Miranda Lambert on July 16, 2011. The show will take place at 7:30pm in Charter Amphitheatre at Heritage Park. Special guests include Josh Kelley & Ashton Shepherd. Travelers attending any concert at Charter Amphitheatre can select the "Greenville Arena Discount" when booking at the Holiday Inn Express Simpsonville to receive a 10% discount. Some restrictions may apply.
Miranda Lambert is an American country music singer who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season ...
John Theurer Cancer Center BMT researchers highlight the importance of social support
2011-07-07
Hackensack, NJ (June 29, 2011) – Researchers at the John Theurer Cancer Center recently published a study delineating the connection of social support to distress after stem cell transplants. Scott Rowley, M.D., Chief, Blood & Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation Program, the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center contributed to the study which was led by Larissa E. Labay from Mt. Sinai. The study was published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, a peer-reviewed publication produced by the American Psychological Association.
The ...
London bombing memories explored
2011-07-07
Los Angeles, CA (July 7th, 2011) - Six years on from the devastating 7/7 London bombings and in the wake of the inquest into the attacks, a special issue of the journal Memory Studies, published by SAGE, explores new research into our collective memories of this tragic event.
"The London attacks make for a particularly compelling case study of contemporary remembrance and commemoration," say authors of the lead editorial, Matthew Allen and Annie Bryan. "Significantly, it would seem that a wider social project of remembering the bombings is at odds with the inquest's ...
Guoman's Charing Cross Hotel Launches the New Look Eleanor's Bar
2011-07-07
Guoman's Charing Cross Hotel has announced the launch Eleanor's bar.
The grand Charing Cross Hotel has undergone refurbishment to create a new look destination bar; Eleanor's, a sophisticated space designed to provide a luxurious oasis from the buzzing hub of The Strand and Trafalgar Square.
The charming four-star hotel is literally situated at the very centre of London, making it the perfect location for meeting friends, enjoying a leisurely cocktail after work or pre-theatre drinks. The bar's beverage offering has also been revamped and Eleanor's tempting new menu ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Smarter tools for policymakers: Notre Dame researchers target urban carbon emissions, building by building
Here’s how we help an iconic California fish survive the gauntlet of today’s highly modified waterways
New technique can dramatically improve laser linewidth
Forest trees and microbes choreograph their hunt for a ‘balanced diet’ under elevated CO2
Beyond health: The political effects of infectious disease outbreaks
For tastier and hardier citrus, researchers built a tool for probing plant metabolism
Stay hydrated: New sensor knows when you need a drink
Quantum internet meets space-time in this new ingenious idea
Soil erosion in mountain environments accelerated by agro-pastoral activities for 3,800 years
Optogenetic platform illuminates new antiviral strategies
A new theory explaining oscillations in tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR)
Early antibiotics alter immune function in infants
With the second grant to therapy
Research center developing digital twins for manufacturing
Colombia’s biofortified rice has untapped potential to improve nutrition. And consumers want it
Study shows pregnancy can significantly worsen risk of serious brain injury in women with arteriovenous malformations
Mapping important infrastructure could aid emergency response after hurricanes
Nighttime pistachio snacking may reshape gut microbiome in prediabetic adults
Friendship promotes neural and behavioral similarity
Neural pathway for nicotine withdrawal symptoms
How your DNA reveals your true age with astonishing accuracy
First electronic–photonic quantum chip created in commercial foundry
High-performance scientific computing can compute molecule ground-state energy
Cryo-electron microscopy – Reaction cycle of an enzyme for CO2 fixation decoded
Feeling more extroverted? Study finds you may have learned how to handle daily stress better
Kindness counts—even to a five-day-old baby
Endocrine Society guideline calls for increased screening for common cause of high blood pressure
Macromolecular gene delivery systems: advancing non-viral therapeutics with synthetic and natural polymers
Study finds political instability, environmental conditions, and social inequality accelerate aging
New insights into malaria: Proteins in the blood can reveal the severity of the disease
[Press-News.org] Socioeconomic status as child dictates response to stress as adultExposure to danger leads those who grew up poor to gamble for immediate rewards