Fear From Afar, Not So Risky After All: Distancing Moderates the Relationship Between Fear and Risk Taking.

Lewend Mayiwar,Fredrik Björklund

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674059

Lewend Mayiwar, Fredrik Björklund

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674059

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Abstract

A growing line of research has shown that individuals can regulate emotional biases in risky judgment and decision-making processes through cognitive reappraisal. In the present study, we focus on a specific tactic of reappraisal known as distancing. Drawing on appraisal theories of emotion and the emotion regulation literature, we examine how distancing moderates the relationship between fear and risk taking and anger and risk taking. In three pre-registered studies (Ntotal = 1,483), participants completed various risky judgment and decision-making tasks. Replicating previous results, Study 1 revealed a negative relationship between fear and risk taking and a positive relationship between anger and risk taking at low levels of distancing. Study 2 replicated the interaction between fear and distancing but found no interaction between anger and distancing. Interestingly, at high levels of distancing, we observed a reversal of the relationship between fear and risk taking in both Study 1 and 2. Study 3 manipulated emotion and distancing by asking participants to reflect on current fear-related and anger-related stressors from an immersed or distanced perspective. Study 3 found no main effect of emotion nor any evidence of a moderating role of distancing. However, exploratory analysis revealed a main effect of distancing on optimistic risk estimation, which was mediated by a reduction in self-reported fear. Overall, the findings suggest that distancing can help regulate the influence of incidental fear on risk taking and risk estimation. We discuss implications and suggestions for future research.

Highlights

Studies in the last couple of decades have provided significant insight into the complex ways in which emotions influence judgments and decisions
Supporting the pre-registered directional moderation hypotheses, the final model indicated that habitual distancing significantly interacted with dispositional fear, β = 0.10, p = 0.038, 90% CI [0.01, 0.20] and anger, β = −0.25, p = 0.029, 90% CI [−0.46, −0.03] in the predicted directions
Study 1 examined whether habitual distancing moderates the influence of dispositional fear and anger on risk taking

Summary

Introduction

Studies in the last couple of decades have provided significant insight into the complex ways in which emotions influence judgments and decisions. Emotions serve as sources of information that help individuals navigate through uncertainty, emotions can “carry over” and influence judgments and decisions in a biasing way (Lerner et al, 2015). Scientists have increasingly recognized the importance of identifying specific ways to minimize such biases (Lerner et al, 2015). While still in its infancy, an emerging and promising line of research has explored how various emotion regulation strategies influence risky decision making (Sokol-Hessner et al, 2009, 2013; Heilman et al, 2010; Miu and Crisan, 2011; Panno et al, 2013). The present study seeks to contribute to this developing line of research in several ways.

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