Wearing a helmet to stay safe is likely to increase risk-taking and sensation-seeking behaviour, conversely making us prone to accidents, a new study has found.
Researchers from the University of Bath in the UK measured sensation-seeking behaviour and analysed risk-taking in adults aged 17-56, using a computer-based simulation.
The researchers asked 80 participants to inflate an on-screen animated balloon. Half of them were made to do so while wearing a cap, and the other half were made to wear a bicycle helmet.
It was during the experiment of inflating the balloon that a stage would come, when it would be so inflated that, unless the participant stopped, it would blow up in the face. The researchers studied which of the participants pushed further and they found that it was the ones wearing the helmet.
Hence they say, that while you have a helmet on, the tendency to take risks is much higher.
Ian Walker, University of BathThe helmet could make zero difference to the outcome, but people wearing one seemed to take more risks in what was essentially a gambling task. Replicated in real-life settings, this could mean that people using protective equipment might take risks against which that protective equipment cannot reasonably be expected to help.
In the experiment, each inflation of the balloon earned participants points and they were told at any stage they could ‘bank’ their earnings. If the balloon burst, all earnings would be lost.
Over 30 trials, the researchers tested each individual’s propensity to keep on inflating and used this to measure the likelihood of them taking more risks, comparing those wearing a cap with those wearing a helmet.
The findings were published in the journal Psychological Science.
(With inputs from PTI)
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