The links among relative financial scarcity, thinking style, fatalism, and well‐being

Abstract

In the present research, we examined the links among relative financial scarcity, thinking style, fatalism, and well‐being and their roles in predicting protective behaviors against COVID‐19. Study 1 (N = 120) revealed that after an experimental manipulation to induce the perception of relative financial scarcity (versus financial abundance), people who perceived higher relative financial scarcity changed their thinking style to a more concrete mindset. In Study 2 (N = 873), the relative financial abundance–scarcity situation was measured, and the results showed that the greater the perceived relative financial scarcity was, the more concrete the mindset and the lower the sense of well‐being. Importantly, we found that individuals who felt poorer but maintained an abstract thinking style reported higher well‐being. Study 3 (N = 501) examined the influence of a concrete thinking style in people who perceived that their economic situation had worsened with the pandemic. The results showed that when this vulnerable population presented a more concrete mindset, they reported lower well‐being, higher fatalism, and lower protective behavior against COVID‐19. Thus, maintaining an abstract mindset promotes higher well‐being, lower fatalism, and greater protective behaviors against COVID‐19, even under economic difficulties. Because thinking style can be modified, our results encourage the development of new social intervention programs to promote an abstract mindset when people face important challenges.

Middle-aged and older adults in Aids village: a mixed methods study on talking about death and well-being promotion based on social support theory

“…Fatalism is a cognitive schema defined by passive and submissive acceptance of an irremediable destiny and feelings of hopelessness (Díaz et al, 2015). Previous research supported that a lower fatalism was associated with greater protective behaviors, and the lower the fatalism was, the higher the well-being was Caballero et al (2022). Maybe that is the reason why talking about death optimistically or pessimistically is not related to SWB significantly.…”

The impact of individual differences in the holistic-analytic thinking style and product incongruences on word of mouth / El efecto de las diferencias individuales en el estilo de pensamiento holístico-analítico y las incongruencias del producto en el boca a boca

“…Research has established that individuals process incongruences differently, and that their thinking style is a key factor influencing this process. Holistic and analytic thinking styles have been widely documented as two distinct approaches to processing contradictions (Peng & Nisbett, 1999; for other conceptualizations of thinking styles, see Caballero et al, 2022). Specifically, holistic thinkers have a greater tendency to view the bigger picture and consider the overall complexity of a situation, rather than focusing on individual details.…”

“…La investigación previa demostró que las personas procesan las incongruencias de formas distintas y que el estilo de pensamiento es un factor clave en este proceso. Los estilos holístico y analítico se han documentado como dos enfoques distintos en el procesamiento de las contradicciones (Peng & Nisbett, 1999; para otras conceptualizaciones del estilo de pensamiento, véase Caballero et al, 2022). En particular, los pensadores holísticos tienen mayor tendencia a contemplar la situación en su totalidad y a tener en cuenta su complejidad global en lugar de centrarse en los detalles individuales.…”