title: Putting all your eggs in one basket: life-history strategies, bet hedging, and diversification.
abstract: Diversification of resources is a strategy found everywhere from the level of microorganisms to that of giant Wall Street investment firms. We examine the functional nature of diversification using life-history theory-a framework for understanding how organisms navigate resource-allocation trade-offs. This framework suggests that diversification may be adaptive or maladaptive depending on one's life-history strategy and that these differences should be observed under conditions of threat. In three studies, we found that cues of mortality threat interact with one index of life-history strategy, childhood socioeconomic status (SES), to affect diversification. Among those from low-SES backgrounds, mortality threat increased preferences for diversification. However, among those from high-SES backgrounds, mortality threat had the opposite effect, inclining people to put all their eggs in one basket. The same interaction pattern emerged with a potential biomarker of life-history strategy, oxidative stress. These findings highlight when, and for whom, different diversification strategies can be advantageous.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1104, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew Edward
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: White
authors.forename: Yexin Jessica
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Vladas
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Griskevicius
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Neuberg
authors.forename: Douglas T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Kenrick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000652:urine; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D003415:Crime / Q000523:psychology; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007449:Investments / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000502:physiology; D040841:Resource Allocation / Q000379:methods*; D012306:Risk; D012923:Social Class; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: evolutionary psychology; socioeconomic status