Two new publications by Johannes Lohse on risk-taking
2026-05-18
Two new publications by Johannes Lohse and co-authors examine risk-taking in different decision contexts. The studyAttention costs drive differences between active and passive risk-taking, published in Nature Scientific Reports, investigates whether people take risks differently when risk results from deliberate action rather than from inaction. The findings show that differences between active and passive risk-taking become particularly relevant when decision environments involve higher attention costs.
The second study, Novel assessment of risk tolerance in acute healthcare settings, published in BMJ Open, examines risk tolerance in acute healthcare settings. It focuses on how patients, carers and healthcare staff assess risks when decisions have to be made about where care should be delivered. The study finds that risk tolerance is context-dependent: participants were less risk tolerant in health-related decisions than in financial decisions, while still being able to engage in structured discussions about risk, including in acute care situations.
Taken together, the two studies show that risk-taking depends strongly on the decision context, including attention, choice mode and whether the consequences are financial or health-related.