The Finite Pool of Worry (FPW) hypothesis states that humans have finite emotional resources for worry, so that when we become more worried about one threat, worry about other threats decreases. Despite its relevance, no conclusive empirical evidence for the hypothesis exists. We leverage the sudden onset of new worries introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment to test the FPW hypothesis and a related hypothesis, the Finite Pool of Attention (FPA) hypothesis. The FPA hypothesis proposes that when we pay more attention to one threat, our attention to other threats decreases.

Examining evidence for the finite pool of worry and finite pool of attention hypotheses

Bosetti, Valentina;
2023

Abstract

The Finite Pool of Worry (FPW) hypothesis states that humans have finite emotional resources for worry, so that when we become more worried about one threat, worry about other threats decreases. Despite its relevance, no conclusive empirical evidence for the hypothesis exists. We leverage the sudden onset of new worries introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic as a natural experiment to test the FPW hypothesis and a related hypothesis, the Finite Pool of Attention (FPA) hypothesis. The FPA hypothesis proposes that when we pay more attention to one threat, our attention to other threats decreases.
2023
2022
Sisco, Matthew R.; Constantino, Sara M.; Gao, Yu; Tavoni, Massimo; Cooperman, Alicia D.; Bosetti, Valentina; Weber, Elke U.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11565/4053029
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