Does poverty promote a different and harmful way of thinking? The links between economic scarcity, concrete construal level and risk behaviors

Abstract

We tested the relationships between economic scarcity, concrete construal level and risk behaviors. We manipulated the lack of economic resources using a priming task in Studies 1 and 2, and participants reported their real income and completed the BIF scale to measure their construal level in Study 3. Studies 1–3 supported the link between perceived economic scarcity and the concrete construal level. Study 4 demonstrated the mediating role played by the concrete construal level in the influence of economic scarcity on risk behaviors using two opposite priming procedures (scarcity plus abstraction). Study 5, in a real context of economic vulnerability, supported the link between concrete mindset and risk behavioral intentions, while abstraction was associated with fewer risk intentions. Concrete thinking implies focusing on the immediate situation, which might facilitate adaptation to the demanding conditions that characterize scarcity contexts but leaves people without a broad perspective of the future to make safe decisions in situations that involve self-control, such as health-risk behaviors. Because an abstract construal level can be induced, these findings open up challenging ways to improve the conditions in which people in scarcity contexts make some behavioral decisions while we continue working to reduce situations of economic scarcity.

The Link between Abstract Thinking Style and Subjective Well-Being: Its Impact when People are in (Real or Perceived) Financial Scarcity

“…Previous studies have shown that being in a situation of financial scarcity generates a more concrete thinking style (Aguilar et al, 2020;Caballero et al, 2023) and that this way of representing behaviors was associated with self-control problems (Fujita & Han, 2009;Fujita et al, 2020) and more risk behaviors (Aguilar et al, 2020). To alleviate the negative consequences associated with a more concrete mindset and its focus on immediate problems, inducing a more abstract thinking style has been shown to shift attention away from immediate obstacles and promote demanding behaviors in the short term but with long-term benefits (Carrera et al, 2020;Caballero et al, 2023). Considering the close links among income, health and SWB, these results motivated the need to explore whether an abstract thinking style could also improve satisfaction with life in people suffering financial scarcity.…”

“…As previous research has demonstrated positive relationships between SWB and health (Goudie et al, 2012;Kim et al, 2015), an abstract thinking style and healthy behaviors (Aguilar et al, 2020;Caballero et al, 2023;Chiou et al, 2013;Sweeney & Freitas, 2014) and more global evaluations and better SWB (Diener et al, 2000), we expect that people experiencing and/or perceiving financial scarcity and who also present a more abstract mindset (vs. concrete mindset), will perceive greater life satisfaction. In addition, because an abstract thinking style implies less focus on immediate difficulties, we expect that abstraction favors a less negative perception of financial problems and thus, people experiencing actual or subjective financial scarcity but thinking abstractly will report greater SWB.…”

Health or wealth? The influence of perceived health and wealth threats and style of thinking on protective behaviours and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain (¿Salud o riqueza? La influencia de las amenazas percibidas contra la salud y la riqueza y del estilo de pensamiento en las conductas de protección y el bienestar durante la pandemia de COVID-19 en España)

“…En apoyo de las predicciones de las dos teorías mencionadas, AIT y CLT, sobre los comportamientos de riesgo para la salud, investigaciones anteriores han mostrado que el estilo de pensamiento concreto está relacionado con problemas de autocontrol (Caballero et al, 2021;Fujita, 2008Fujita, , 2011Fujita & Carnevale, 2012;Fujita & Han, 2009). Sin embargo, un estilo abstracto fomenta mayor autocontrol, lo que facilita la adopción de comportamientos exigentes con beneficios a largo plazo (e.g., Aguilar et al, 2020;Carrera et al, 2020Carrera et al, , 2021.…”

“…Supporting the AIT's and CLT's predictions regarding health-risk behaviours, previous research has shown that the concrete style is associated with self-control problems (Caballero et al, 2021;Fujita, 2008Fujita, , 2011Fujita & Carnevale, 2012;Fujita & Han, 2009). However, an abstract style promotes greater self-control, which facilitates the adoption of demanding behaviours with long-term benefits (e.g., Aguilar et al, 2020;.…”

Construal level among poor children: Executive function implications

“…For example, participants in the high‐level construal condition (relative to the low‐level construal condition) performed better on cognitive tasks that require inhibition and goal maintenance in working memory (Schmeichel et al, 2011). Caballero et al (2021) found that high‐level construal manipulation can also reduce the risk behaviours (unhealthy decisions) of participants with economic scarcity. These findings suggest that high‐level construals have a positive effect on cognitive performance, but no studies have tested whether high‐level construals can be used in interventions to improve EFs among children living in poverty.…”