The Influence Of Personality In Intertemporal Decision-Making
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Abstract
Intertemporal decision-making is the behavior of choosing between a smaller, more immediate reward and a larger, delayed reward. Delay discounting (DD) is the process by which the subjective value of an identified gain decreases as the delay in receiving it increases. Individuals with a high rate of DD tend to overvalue immediate benefits and make choices with detrimental long-term consequences. The present study aimed to assess the influence of the Big Five personality traits on intertemporal decision-making, considering the effects of sociodemographic covariates and psychopathological symptoms (anxiety, depression, and stress). The sample consisted of 520 Brazilian adults, with a mean age of 27.3 years (SD = 4.7), with 70.2% being female. They completed an online survey, which included the Big Five Inventory (BFI-5), the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ-27). The results indicated that approximately 9% of the variance in DD is explained by mean family income, anxiety, agreeableness, neuroticism, and extraversion. Specifically regarding the influence of personality, 1.7% of DD was explained by agreeableness, 0.7% by extroversion, and 0.6% by neuroticism. These findings suggest that certain personal attributes contribute to increased DD, regardless of mean family income and emotional health status.
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