Motivated to compete but not to care: The fundamental social motives of risk-taking behaviors

Abstract

Based on the evolutionary framework of risk-taking, the present study aims to examine how the fundamental social motives relate to health risks, interpersonal risks and deviant non-violent behaviors as a function of sex and across different life stages of transitioning to adulthood. A total of 1370 Spanish adolescents and young individuals participated in the survey study. The results showed that status-seeking and kin care (family) were the principal social motives related to risk-taking behaviors. Specifically, status-seeking acted as a promoting factor of risk-taking behaviors, while kin care (family) exerted the opposite effect. Therefore, the results in general demonstrate the significant role of the fundamental social motives on risk-taking behaviors. The impact of sex and age group on the relationship between social motives and risk-taking behaviors is discussed.