New research continues to show that early life experiences influence how people make decisions as adults.
Children, who learn that life is harsh at a very early age, subsequently adopt fast strategies for managing risk. Since life is tough better start spending your resources as quickly as you can and in a variety of different ways. Such individuals are more likely to reach puberty quicker, start sex earlier in life and have more sexual partners. The same patterns applies when it comes to making financial decisions – people, who adopt fast strategies, are much more likely to diversify the risk – spending their resources more widely.
By comparison, children, who have stable and secure childhoods, are more likely to adopt slow strategies. As adults, these individuals are more likely to put all of their eggs in one basket. Such individuals delay puberty, sexual intercourse, and they have fewer sexual partners and fewer children. When it comes to financial planning, they also tend to allocate their resources more conservatively.
The full study can be found here.
