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Effects of stress on economic decision-making: Evidence from laboratory experiments

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  • Delaney, Liam
  • Fink, Günther
  • Harmon, Colm

Abstract

The ways in which preferences respond to the varying stress of economic environments is a key question for behavioral economics and public policy. We conducted a laboratory experiment to investigate the effects of stress on financial decision making among individuals aged 50 and older. Using the cold pressor task as a physiological stressor, and a series of intelligence tests as cognitive stressors, we find that stress increases subjective discounting rates, has no effect on the degree of risk-aversion, and substantially lowers the effort individuals make to learn about financial decisions.

Suggested Citation

  • Delaney, Liam & Fink, Günther & Harmon, Colm, 2014. "Effects of stress on economic decision-making: Evidence from laboratory experiments," SIRE Discussion Papers 2014-006, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    • Handle: RePEc:edn:sirdps:550
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10943/550
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    2. Malvina Bondy & Sefi Roth & Lutz Sager, 2020. "Crime Is in the Air: The Contemporaneous Relationship between Air Pollution and Crime," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 7(3), pages 555-585.
    3. Choung, Youngjoo & Chatterjee, Swarn & Pak, Tae-Young, 2022. "Depression and financial planning horizon," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
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    5. Thomas Buser & Anna Dreber & Johanna Mollerstrom, 2017. "The impact of stress on tournament entry," Experimental Economics, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 20(2), pages 506-530, June.
    6. Sooter, Nina M. & Brandon, Rajna Gibson & Ugazio, Giuseppe, 2024. "Honesty is predicted by moral values and economic incentives but is unaffected by acute stress," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Finance, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    7. Buser, Thomas & Dreber, Anna & Mollerstrom, Johanna, 2015. "Stress Reactions Cannot Explain the Gender Gap in Willingness to Compete," Working Paper Series 1071, Research Institute of Industrial Economics.
    8. Kettlewell, Nathan, 2019. "Risk preference dynamics around life events," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 162(C), pages 66-84.
    9. Haushofer, Johannes & Jain, Prachi & Musau, Abednego & Ndetei, David, 2021. "Stress may increase choice of sooner outcomes, but not temporal discounting," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 377-396.
    10. Martina Vecchi & Nicolai Vitt, 2024. "Stress or failure? An experimental protocol to distinguish the environmental determinants of decision-making," Journal of the Economic Science Association, Springer;Economic Science Association, vol. 10(2), pages 485-503, December.
    11. Preuss, Malte, 2021. "Intra-individual stability of two survey measures on forward-looking attitude," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 190(C), pages 201-227.
    12. Belot, Michèle & James, Jonathan & Vecchi, Martina & Vitt, Nicolai, 2019. "Stress and Food Preferences: A Lab Experiment with Low-SES Mothers," IZA Discussion Papers 12674, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Alloush, Mo & Bloem, Jeffrey R., 2022. "The psychological toll of food insecurity," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 204(C), pages 618-630.
    14. Vitt, Nicolai & James, Jonathan & Belot, Michèle & Vecchi, Martina, 2021. "Daily stressors and food choices: A lab experiment with low-SES mothers," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    15. Bos, Marieke & Le Coq, Chloé & van Santen, Peter, 2016. "Economic Scarcity and Consumers’ Credit Choice," Working Paper Series 329, Sveriges Riksbank (Central Bank of Sweden).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    stress; financial decisions; discounting; risk aversion; learning;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being

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