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What makes someone a risk-taker?
And is it embedded in our personalities - or is something we can change over time?
Hey guys, Tara here for Dnews - and I gotta say, it’s pretty amazing just how different
and complex people can be.
When we think about someone’s personality, for example we’re usually evaluating them
on a scale of certain aspects: humor, compassion, outgoingness - but what about adventurousness?
What is it about our biology, that makes some of us risk takers - and some of us not?
It turns out, like most things in life - the answer isn’t black or white.
It’s more like, a rainbow of colors that are constantly changing, for each new phase
of life we enter.
In reality, everyone has different reasons for why they choose to take risks - so people
who are cautious in some areas, may actually embrace taking risks in others.
Elke Weber is a psychologist and business professor at Columbia University, who developed
the "domain-specific risk propensity" model.
It theorizes that everyone has a unique risk propensity, spread out among five categories:
financial, health/safety, recreational, ethical, and social.
And your willingness to take risks, she says, can vary widely from one category to the next.
It’s the gender divide, though, that really explains the underlying reason for risk-taking.
Obviously there are exceptions, but generally speaking, men tend to take more risks than
women - and especially financial and recreational risks.
It harkens back to a “culture of honor,” where men feel like they need to defend themselves
and assert their masculinity, in order to protect their honor.
And taking risks, is a big part of that.
But according to Andreas Wilke, an expert on risk-taking and decision-making, there’s
also a sexual aspect to it.
Because men have more intra-sexual competition than women do for sex, they feel the need
to advertise their sexual fitness through daring exploits.
So “if you compare the behavior of a single adolescent male,” he says, “with his behavior
when women are watching, you can see how the risk increases.”
Sure enough, people - and especially men - tend to become less risk-seeking as they get older,
and as they enter into stable relationships.
But that’s not to say that women aren’t risk-takers either.
In fact, studies have consistently shown that women tend to take more social risks than
men.
Things like moving to a new city, wearing unconventional clothes, changing careers later
in life, or expressing unpopular opinions during a business meeting.
What’s especially interesting, is other research showing that experiencing discrimination
or rejection leads people to take more chances.
So if women feel as though they’re operating under a patriarchal society, it makes sense
that they might take even more social risks, as a way of tacitly fighting back.
Of course, out of all the risks you should take - financial ones probably aren’t the
best idea.
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In the meantime, let us know in the comments below - if you consider yourself to be a risk-taker.
That’s it for me, but as always - thank you guys for watching!
This episode of DNews was brought to you by the BuyPower Card from Capital One.
Every purchase brings you closer to a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle.