Summary: New research links childhood deprivation to a greater tendency for impulsive choices, a trait associated with higher risk of addiction, obesity and other long-term health problems.
Source: Aston University
Children who grow up in deprived conditions are more likely to favor immediate rewards over larger delayed ones, a pattern of decision-making that increases risk for addictive behaviours and poor health later in life, researchers report.
The study focuses on “trait impulsivity,” the stable tendency to prefer immediate gratification. This tendency has been linked to higher spending on calorie-dense, unhealthy foods and is one factor behind observations that people who experienced childhood poverty or food insecurity often have higher adult body-mass indices.
A team from the School of Psychology at Aston University investigated how early-life deprivation influences decision-making. Their work, developed over six years, connects childhood scarcity with impulsive decision patterns and explores how these patterns relate to obesity and financial pressures, including the current cost of living crisis.
In earlier research published in Scientific Reports, Professor Richard Tunney and colleagues tested 146 children (average age eight) drawn from some of England’s most deprived neighbourhoods and compared them with children from affluent areas. Children were offered choices between small immediate cash rewards (for example, £1 today) and larger rewards available after a delay (for example, £10 in six months or more a year later).
Researchers calculated each child’s “discount rate”—a measure of how much future value is diminished by waiting. A higher discount rate indicates greater impulsivity: for example, a child who prefers £1 now rather than £10 in six months treats the future £10 as worth less than the immediate £1. Alternatively, a less impulsive child might wait six months for £10 but not a full year for £15, showing a lower discount rate.
Professor Tunney explains that children from the most deprived areas displayed significantly higher discount rates than children from the least deprived areas, even after accounting for age and cognitive ability. “This preference for immediate outcomes appears to be a stable personality trait that remains consistent across a person’s life,” he said.
Extending the research to older populations, the team analysed data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, examining decision-making in over 1,000 adults aged 50 to 90. Results mirrored the findings from the child study: older adults living in the most deprived areas were more likely to choose smaller-sooner financial rewards over larger delayed rewards.
The analysis also showed that occupation predicts time preferences: people in technical or routine jobs—such as mechanics or cleaners—tended to prefer smaller immediate rewards compared with those in professional roles, like engineers or scientists. Other predictors of discounting included gender, cognitive function and subjective social status.
Professor Tunney stressed the broader public health implications: “These findings are worrying because impulsivity helps explain why people in poorer areas are often less healthy than those in wealthier areas. A childhood shaped by scarcity makes people more likely to choose activities that feel rewarding in the short term but are harmful long-term—overeating, substance use, smoking and gambling.”
He added that impulsivity contributes to why some individuals progress to addiction while others do not. Although genetics also influences impulsivity, social and economic policies can reduce childhood deprivation and thus improve population mental and physical health. “Policymakers cannot change genes, but they can reduce child poverty. Failing to act will have long-term consequences, especially for children currently affected by the cost of living crisis,” he said.
About this psychology research news
Author: Rebecca Hume
Source: Aston University
Contact: Rebecca Hume – Aston University
Image: The image is in the public domain
Original Research: Open access.
“Individual differences in decision-making: evidence for the scarcity hypothesis from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing” by Richard Tunney et al. Royal Society Open Science
Abstract
Individual differences in decision-making: evidence for the scarcity hypothesis from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing
This pre-registered analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing tested the hypothesis that economic scarcity is associated with individual differences in decision-making. By comparing time preferences across socio-economic groups and geographic areas—from the most deprived to the least deprived using the English indices of multiple deprivation—the study found consistent evidence that people living in more deprived areas are more likely to prefer smaller-sooner rewards.
The analysis also showed that people in technical or routine occupations tend to prefer immediate rewards more than those in professional or intermediate occupations. Additionally, gender, cognitive function and subjective social status were significant predictors of time preference. These results are discussed in the context of theoretical models that explain choice behaviour under conditions of scarcity.