Loss aversion, social comparison and physical abilities at younge age

Nakamoto, Yasuhiro and Sato, Masayuki (2011): Loss aversion, social comparison and physical abilities at younge age.

Abstract

We examine how physical abilities affect individuals' preferences. In particular, by incorporating social comparison into prospect theory, we directly estimate the degree of loss aversion from social comparison, a concept we term `ALJ' (\textit{Avoiding Loss relative to the Joneses}). Our main findings are as follows: (i) the participants who choose the physical education as the best subject exhibit a greater degree of ALJ than others; (ii) physical fitness influences the degree of ALJ; (iii) gender influences social comparison preferences; (iv) participants with a greater degree of ALJ do not respond to voluntary questionnaire; (v) the form of participants' ALJ is affected by the voluntary behavior of their parents. A comparison of ALJ with loss aversion in the original prospect theory reveals that they have different characteristics.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Loss aversion; Risk aversion; Social Comparison; Physical fitness; Voluntary participation
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics > D12 - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis; C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C9 - Design of Experiments > C90 - General; C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C9 - Design of Experiments > C93 - Field Experiments

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