What the study found
The study found that willingness to wait for a later reward, described as an individual's discount factor, varied reliably over seconds but not over days in response to endogenous stress and cortisol. The authors frame this as a finding about how stress-related biological variation covaries with economic choices.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors say these findings are important for understanding the impact of stress in different contexts. They suggest that fluctuations in individual stress responses to the environment may help explain variations in consumer behaviors, including impulse purchases, even among healthy adults.
What the researchers tested
The researchers used a multi-session design with 34 participants to examine whether measures of chronic stress were associated with economic choices across different time scales within the same person. They assessed chronic stress using questionnaires, saliva samples, and hair samples.
What worked and what didn't
The study found a reliable relationship between endogenous stress and discount factor over seconds. It did not find the same pattern over days. The abstract also notes that little is known more broadly about how chronic stress influences economic decisions that differ in the timing of outcome delivery.
What to keep in mind
The abstract describes a small study with 34 participants. It also does not provide detailed limitations beyond noting the existing gap in knowledge about chronic stress and timing-based economic decisions.
Key points
- Willingness to wait for a later reward varied reliably over seconds in response to endogenous stress.
- The same relationship was not found over days.
- The study used a multi-session design with 34 participants.
- Chronic stress was measured with questionnaires, saliva samples, and hair samples.
- The authors suggest the findings may help explain impulse purchases and other consumer behaviors.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Willingness to wait varies with endogenous cortisol changes
- Authors:
- Evgeniya Lukinova, Jeffrey C. Erlich
- Institutions:
- University of Nottingham, New York University Shanghai, Sainsbury Laboratory, University College London, East China Normal University
- Publication date:
- 2026-01-13
- OpenAlex record:
- View
- Image credit:
- Photo by anncapictures on Pixabay · Pixabay License
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