Quick Answer: A study in Psychological Science found that men take higher financial risks when touched on the shoulder by women, but women’s risk-taking behavior remains unaffected by male touch. The research suggests female contact increases men’s sense of security, leading to riskier investment decisions.
You may have read the headline for this post and said “of course it does.” But a recent study published in “Psychological Science” found that if a woman patted a man on the shoulder that he would be willing to take higher financial risk than if she had not touched them at all. For women, it didn’t make much of an impact if a man did the touching.
Expect to see female investment advisors and bankers rushing around the desk to gently pat us guys on the shoulder, soon.
Volunteers who had received a light pat on the shoulder from a female researcher while getting instructions for a financial decision-making task were more likely to select risky investments than were the volunteers who did not receive a touch on the shoulder, those who received a pat on the shoulder from a male researcher, or those who received a handshake. Subtle physical contact by a female increased participants’ sense of security, which may have led to a greater willingness to take risks. – Source
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