The present research proposes and tests the “hedonic risk hypothesis” that affective experiences of pleasure provide a common currency that people use to equate economic and hedonic inequality. As a result, economic inequality can increase risk-taking in pursuit of pleasure even in noneconomic domains. Study 1 showed that higher economic inequality at the state level was associated with people in those states spending more time pursuing pleasure. Studies 2–4 were experiments, which demonstrated that when people perceive inequality in other people’s hedonic experience, they become riskier in their pursuit of pleasure for themselves. The relationship between inequality and risk-taking in pursuit of pleasurable experiences was moderated by upward social comparisons. Both monetary and hedonic inequality caused participants to become riskier in their pursuit of pleasure. The findings suggest a psychological pathway by which systemic effects of income inequality may affect individual health and social outcomes.

本研究提出并检验了“享乐风险假设”，即享乐的情感体验提供了人们用来等同于经济和享乐不平等的共同货币。结果，即使在非经济领域中，经济不平等也会增加冒险追求冒险的风险。研究1显示，州一级的经济不平等现象与那些州花费更多时间追求享乐的人们有关。研究2–4是实验，表明当人们在他人享乐体验中感知不平等时，他们在追求自己的快乐时会变得更有风险。通过向上的社会比较，不平等与追求愉悦体验的冒险精神之间的关系得以缓和。金钱和享乐不平等都导致参与者在追求享乐时变得更有风险。研究结果表明，收入不平等的系统性影响可能会影响个人健康和社会成果的心理途径。