Power has its risks
From the Briefcase: Research produced by America's Best Business Schools
Study 2 tested whether powerful individuals view the outside world as less dangerous and threatening. Participants with a high-power mind-set gave more optimistic estimates of dangers in the world, such as floods, fires, and heart disease, than those with those with a low-power mind-set.
Study 3 extended the previous two studies by testing whether power influences individuals' actual preference for risk (versus just testing their perceptions of risk). Participants' sense of power was subconsciously primed, and then participants were asked to choose from various solutions for a large car manufacturer that must close plants and lay off employees. High-power participants were more likely to choose a riskier option than neutral and low-power individuals.
Study 4 created a vignette more relevant to student participants. Participants were manipulated to feel a sense of power and then asked about the likelihood they would engage in sexual intercourse without a condom. Individuals in a high-power mind-set saw less danger in engaging in unprotected sex and were more willing to engage in this risky behavior.
Study 5 tested the link between power and risk-taking in actual face-to-face interactions, with one student playing a job candidate and the other a job recruiter in a negotiations exercise. The more powerful participants perceived themselves in the negotiation, the more risks they were willing to take by divulging information.
Study 5 demonstrated the research's applicability to negotiations. "It cuts both ways: Feeling less powerful can actually be detrimental because you're less likely to divulge some of your information that you need to in order to create a win-win situation," Anderson says. "At the same time, people who go into the negotiation with a huge advantage over their opponent might throw everything onto the table and feel like there's no harm in doing so and get taken to the cleaners."
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