Propensity for risk taking across the life span and around the globe

• Autores: Rui Mata, Anika K. Josef, Ralph Hertwig
• Localización: Psychological Science, ISSN-e 1467-9280, Vol. 27, Nº. 2, 2016, págs. 231-243
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Past empirical work suggests that aging is associated with decreases in risk taking. But are such effects universal? Life-history theory suggests that the link between age and risk taking is a function of specific reproductive strategies that can be more or less risky depending on the ecology. We assessed variation in the age-risk curve using World Values Survey data from 77 countries (N = 147,118). The results suggest that propensity for risk taking tends to decline across the life span in the vast majority of countries. In addition, there is systematic variation among countries: Countries in which hardship (e.g., high infant mortality) is higher are characterized by higher levels of risk taking and flatter age-risk curves. These findings suggest that hardship may function as a cue to guide life-history strategies. Age-risk relations thus cannot be understood without reference to the demands and affordances of the environment.