risk-taking

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Men Gamble Big When a Hot Guy Is Around

 Men Gamble Big 
 When a Hot Guy 
 Is Around 

study says

Men Gamble Big When a Hot Guy Is Around

They want to look more attractive themselves, researcher says

(Newser) - Brad Pitt, it seems, would be a dangerous gambling partner. Scientists have found that heterosexual men take greater risks with money—in pursuit of bigger rewards—after seeing pictures of good-looking guys. Researcher Eugene Chan says it's a matter of competition for sex: "Men want to appear more...

JPMorgan Ignored Scads of Red Flags

Jamie Dimon on hot seat as shareholders meet today

(Newser) - There is likely some hell yet to be paid at JPMorgan after the bank lost $2 billion on bets that were supposed to be hedges. The firm's shareholders are meeting today, and many want to knock CEO Jamie Dimon out of the chairman post, Reuters reports—including the California...

Teen Brains Develop Ability to Avoid Risky Behavior

It might help them ward off peer pressure

(Newser) - Looks like teens have a built-in defense mechanism against peer pressure: New research shows that the part of the brain involved in decision-making develops significantly in the early teen years, the Telegraph reports. Researchers from the University of Oregon found that activity in the ventral striatum, a part of the...

Big Banks Still Think We're Chumps
 Big Banks 
 Still Think 
 We're Chumps 
OPINION

Big Banks Still Think We're Chumps

Citigroup hasn't learned its lesson from financial crisis

(Newser) - Have the big banks learned their lesson from the financial crisis? Not a chance, writes Charlie Gasparino in the Daily Beast . Citigroup’s recent attempt to bar a well-respected financial analyst from questioning its executives about accounting practices, plus new documents proving the bank’s top brass knew about its...

Bank Risk Rules Could Die in Senate
 Bank Risk Rules 
 Could Die in Senate 
DODD: BIPARTISAN OR BUST

Bank Risk Rules Could Die in Senate

Retiring Dodd wants GOP support, Obama be damned

(Newser) - President Obama’s plan to limit the amount of risk big US banks can take could well die in the Senate if the measure isn’t seen as bipartisan enough by Chris Dodd, the retiring Banking Committee chair, and Senate Republicans. “He wants to end his career with an...

Reckless Teens Have More Mature Brains

Study links risky behavior to a better crop of white matter

(Newser) - Conventional wisdom says that teens who experiment with drugs, sex, and other risky behaviors do so because their brains—specifically the frontal-lobe areas responsible for decision making—are immature. But a new study turns that notion upside down, suggesting that risky teens have more mature brains than teens who play...

Testosterone Linked to Women's Career Choice

(Newser) - Women with higher testosterone levels may be more likely to seek out riskier careers, according to a new study. Researchers at the University of Chicago tested the testosterone levels of 500 graduate business students, then tracked their post-graduation career moves. Ultimately 36% of women went into high-risk financial careers, and...

Scientists Bet There's a Gambling Gene

Study suggests genetics behind taking money risks

(Newser) - Genetics might be behind your betting habits, researchers have found. People with a “short” type of a certain gene were more likely to take risks than those with the “long” type, the Daily Telegraph reports. In a study, 30 volunteers were, for example, given cash and allowed to...

Spend, Baby, Spend —or We're Sunk
 Spend, Baby, Spend 
 —or We're Sunk 

OPINION

Spend, Baby, Spend —or We're Sunk

(Newser) - Our massive economy will remain stuck until hoarders open their wallets and "roll the dice" once again, Daniel Gross writes in Newsweek. Investors and consumers alike must regain their "penchant for gain and risk... some of the essence of what makes us American." Until that caffeinated, delirious...

Study Paves Way for 'Entrepreneur Pill'

Start-up bosses seen to make tough calls under stress; researchers see hormone link

(Newser) - A study that links entrepreneurial success to risky decision-making, a trait less prevalent among buttoned-up business managers, has scientists pondering whether a pill could boost enterprising behavior. Riskiness is associated with the hormone dopamine, which could inject chutzpah into hesitant managers, the Telegraph reports. Critics doubt chemicals are solely responsible,...

Energy Drinks Linked to Risk-Taking

Two studies find increased incidence of risky sexual behavior, binge drinking

(Newser) - Beside nausea and stomach trouble, there’s a new reason to be concerned when you see your teen slamming four Red Bulls in an afternoon, the New York Times reports: risky behavior. A study in the Journal of American College Health links use of energy drinks with risky behavior such...

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