People With Poor Romantic Prospects Seem To Engage In Riskier Behaviour

June 27, 2016 in Daily Bulletin

The Association for Psychological Science wrote about a study that examined the behavioural impact of having bad dating prospects:

  • A series of experiments suggested that if people believe that gender ratios in their area are skewed in a way that lengthens the odds of finding a romantic partner, they are more likely to engage in risky behaviour.
  • From an evolutionary perspective it sort of makes sense. If it’s difficult to find a mate then high risk-high reward behaviours and a willingness to do whatever it takes may be the way to go.
  • Crucially though the high risk behaviour isn’t limited to finding a mate – those with poor romantic prospects seem to engage in risky behaviour in all domains in life.
  • Thus people who struggle to find a date may engage in high-risk behaviour related to investments, gambling, and sports.
  • In countries such as India and China with heavily skewed gender ratios this has implications for the kinds of societies that such pressures may create.

Read more about the experiments and their methodology over here.

Source: Eureka Alert