In risk research people are sometimes divided into two kinds of personalities: risk seeking and risk averse. But it is misleading to generalize a person as one or the other. The very same person who is averse to the risk of genetically modified corn may be a chain smoker, and another who is terrified of burning wax candles on a Christmas tree may be willing to risk having a gun at home. Social learning is the reason why people aren’t generally risk seeking or risk averse. They tend to fear whatever their peers fear, resulting in a patchwork of risks taken and avoided.
