Summary of Key Findings
Dataset Description
The dataset consists of over 5000 participants' worth of data collected remotely, via smartphone app called the Happiness Project. These results focus mainly on play 2 of data to avoid capturing the effects of participants learning how to play this complicated game.
Risk-Taking Behaviour
- Participants take more risks when in a loss vs gain domain.
Happiness Model Parameters and Anxiety Groups
- People with higher anxiety scores (GAD 6+) have a greater EV (expected value) parameter weights compared to people with lower anxiety scores (GAD < 6).
- The correlation between GAD and EV was significant (rho = 0.05, p = 0.002).
- The correlation between GAD and RPE was not significant (rho = 0.003, p = 0.841).
- When looking at Depression level, there were no significant difference between people with high depression scores (PHQ 7+) and people with low scores (PHQ < 7) in terms of RPE and EV weights.
- Non-symmetric happiness responses based on EV in gain and loss domain (people get unhappier quicker in the loss domain with increasing absolute EV compared to in the gain domain).
Happiness and Risk-Taking Outcomes (Winning vs Losing)
- As expected, people were happier when they won risky gambles in the gain domain, compared to losing in the gain domain.
- The happiness model was better at predicting happiness when winning risky gambles in the gain domain, but underestimated people's unhappiness when losing in the gain domain.
- That is, people were less happy than the model predicted when they lost in the gain domain.
- Again, as expected, in the loss domain, people were happier winning gambles vs losing.
- The happiness model was better at predicting happiness when losing gambles in the loss domain, vs winning gambles in the loss domain.
- That is, people were happier when they won in the loss domain than the model predicted they would be.
Happiness and Risk-Taking Choices (Gamble vs Safe)
- People were happiest playing it safe in gain domains, and least happy playing it safe in loss domains.
Future Information and Risk-Taking
- People were more likely to take a risk when the future was a gain domain vs loss domain.
- When including current trial information, people were most likely to take a risk when they were currently in a loss domain, and the future is positive.
- People were least likely to take a risk when they were currently in a gain domain, and the future is negative.
Future Information and Happiness
- People were happier when the future island was a loss domain vs a gain domain.
- When including current trial information, people were happiest when currently in a gain domain, with a loss domain upcoming.
- People were least happy when currently in a loss domain, with a positive future upcoming
- There may be an interaction with depression level, where people with PHQ 7+ were significantly more unhappy (p < 0.001) when currently in a loss domain, with a positive future upcoming.
- This also seemed to be associated with anxiety diagnosis.
Gender Differences
- In the gain domain, women gamble more than men.
- In the loss domain, men gamble more than women.