BlueSky Thinking Summary

According to Kellogg faculty research, fear influences decision–making in profound ways across most walks of life.

Chethana Achar shows that when framed as prevention and not diagnosis, medical detection reduces fear and thus promotes health behaviors.

The research conducted by David Matsa and Todd Gormley on executives proves that the fear of career setbacks makes them risk-averse, impacting strategic business decisions negatively.

Derek Rucker and David Gal research how the pursuit of bravery most of the time makes individuals take risks in key life decisions.

Dimitris Papanikolaou discusses how the fear of missing out prompts investors to overvalue high-potential startups.

Cynthia Wang works on working parents, showing that a fear of coming up short influences how much effort one puts in parenting and work productivity.

These studies, when taken together, underscore the pervasiveness of the influence of fear on behavior—from health-related decisions to financial matters and raising children—showing just how multifaceted it is in its impact on human decision-making.