Could the hectic pace of modern life be spurring people to make risky choices? Researchers tested the effects of "thought speed" on appetite for risk., three dozen students read sentences aloud, at either twice their ordinary speed or half that speed, setting the pace for the brain. Then each participant played a computer simulation, getting five cents each time he or she pumped air into a balloon but losing the money if too much air went in and the balloon popped. People who had read quickly were more aggressive, attempting (and achieving) more pumps but also popping more balloons. In a second experiment, 52 students watched videos of identical content edited with quick, medium, or long cuts. Viewers of the quick-cut scenes were more likely to say that in the next six months they were likely to smoke marijuana, play drinking games or have unprotected sex; they were also more likely to minimize dangers in those actions.
"Fast Thought Speed Induces Risk Taking," Jesse J. Chandler and Emily Pronin, Psychological Science (April)
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