Taking risks comes up in every day conversations. You might even come across a conversation about taking extreme risks such as taking drugs and its effects about which you will often hear on TV or the Internet. Taking risks means taking the decision to accept the negative consequences linked to engaging in a given task. The tendency to take risks is usually perceived though behaviors that might have a negative effect on one’s health. We forget that we take risks every day, by trusting someone. We assume that someone will help us to carry out a certain task and at the same time we take into consideration that the other person might not do it right. Trust that he or she will not let us down is our guarantee.
From the point of view of biology it is dopamine which plays an important role in taking risky decisions. Its secretion impacts our state of arousal and motivation to act. At the same time if we are over stimulated than we are more focused on the future award and we tend to forget the dangers. This is what happens with gamblers who lose large sums of money because of ignoring the possibility of loss.
It is no wonder that men are more prone to taking risks. Research shows that when you administer testosterone to a person they will be more willing to take risks.
When faced with a challenge which will have benefits and loss and we are thinking what decision to take it is best to imagine the worst case scenario that could happen and asses how probable it is. Our fears are often exaggerated. It is only through awareness of them you can take the right decisions.
