Elevation in Buildings Can Affect the Decisions We Make 楼越高，胆越大？

周晓玲

People rely on financial managers， doctors and lawyers to be as objective as possible when making decisions about investments， health and legal issues， but findings from a new study suggest that an unexpected factor could be influencing these choices.人們期待财务经理、医生和律师在处理投资、医疗和法律事务时尽可能客观，但最新研究表明，一个出乎意料的因素可能会影响他们做决策。

In a series of experiments， researchers found that people at higher elevations in an office building were more willing to take financial risks. The study is available online in the Journal of Consumer Psychology.

“When you increase elevation， there is a subconscious effect on the sense of power，” says lead author Sina Esteky， PhD， an assistant professor of marketing in the business school at Miami University. “This heighted feeling of power results in more risk-seeking behavior.”

In a pilot study， the researchers analyzed data from more than 3，000 hedge funds1 throughout the world that accounted for assets over $500 billion. They correlated the level of volatility2 of the fund with the floor level of the firm—which ranged from the first3 to the 96th floor. The researchers found a slight but significant correlation between increased elevation and the volatility of the fund.

Estekys team also conducted experiments in which participants were asked to make a betting decision as they were either ascending or descending in the glass elevator of a tall building. The participants who were going up to the 72nd floor were more likely to opt for the risky lottery that could result in either a small or significant win. Those who were descending preferred the conservative lottery with either a moderate or slightly larger win.

In another experiment， participants were either on the ground floor or third floor of a university building， and they were asked to make 10 decisions with differing levels of risk and payoff. Again， the researchers found that participants on the third floor more frequently chose risky options than their ground floor counterparts. To better understand the reason for this behavior， participants completed a series of unfinished words， and people on the third floor were more likely to create words associated with power than the participants on the ground floor. The researchers believe that increased power-related thoughts might explain how elevation affects risk preferences.

Esteky suggests that elevation of an office building may be one reason certain hedge fund managers are willing to invest in risky assets such as Bitcoin， a cryptocurrency and worldwide payment system that is highly volatile. Although this study was limited to financial decisions， further studies could show whether the subconscious effect of elevation influences other professionals like doctors who are choosing treatment plans for patients， Esteky says. In another experiment， he discovered that people were more open to taking a sensory risk by trying an unfamiliar fruit when they were at a higher elevation in a building.

Although the implications of these findings could be unsettling for consumers who are relying on themselves or paid experts to make rational choices， the elevation effect vanished when participants were informed that floor level influences behavior， Esteky explains. The effect also disappeared when people could not see that they were on a higher floor level， such as those in cubicles without a window view.

“The important lesson is that when people become aware of the potential impact of elevation， it doesnt happen anymore，” Esteky says. “The brain is very susceptive to subtle situational factors， but also really good at correcting for such effects， so awareness can help us be more rational in our decisions.”

研究者在一系列實验中发现，位处同一办公楼的楼层越高时，人们越愿意冒财务风险。这项研究发表在《消费心理学报》上，可在线了解详情。

“当身处高度提升时，潜意识里权力感也会提升。”该研究报告主要作者，迈阿密大学商学院市场学助理教授西拿·埃思特基博士说，“这种高权力感会导致更多追求风险的行为。”

在一项初步研究中，研究者分析了采自全球3000多只对冲基金的数据，这些基金的资产总额超过5000亿美元。他们将基金的波动性与该基金公司所在的办公室楼层——有的位于2层，有的高至97层——进行对照，发现两者有着较弱却有意义的关联性。

埃思特基的团队也做了另一类实验。其要求参与者站在一栋高楼的玻璃观光电梯中，在电梯上升或下降时选择购买何种彩票。上73楼的参与者更愿意选择风险高的彩票，奖金金额要么很小，要么极大;而下行电梯中的参与者则更愿意购买保守些的彩票，奖金金额中等或略高。

在另一项实验中，参与者分别位于一座大学建筑的底楼或4楼。他们被要求做出10个决策，每个决策的风险和回报各不相同。研究者再次发现，相较于位于底楼的参与者，4楼的参与者更频繁地做出高风险选择。为了更好理解这种行为产生的原因，参与者填写了一系列补全单词的练习，身处4楼的参与者比底楼的参与者更有可能写出与权力相关的词汇。研究者认为，位于更高楼层时，与权力相关的想法更频繁出现，或许能解释为什么楼高会影响人们对风险的偏好。

埃思特基认为，办公室所在的楼层高或许是某些对冲基金经理“胆大”的原因之一。他们愿意投资高风险资产，如比特币，一种高波动性的虚拟货币和全球偿付体系。他还认为，尽管此项研究局限于金融投资决策，其后续研究或许能揭示楼高对其他职业人士做决策时的潜意识影响，如医生为病人选择治疗方案等。在另一项实验中，他还发现，人们身处更高楼层时，更愿意冒“感官风险”，如品尝一种不熟悉的水果。

以上研究发现可能会让消费者感到不安，因为他们依赖自身或雇用专家以做出理性决策。不过，埃思特基解释说，告知参与者楼层高度会影响他们的行为时，“楼升效应”就消失了;而人们未意识到自己身处较高楼层时，如位于看不到窗户的格子间，这种效应也不存在。

埃思特基认为，“人们意识到楼层高度的潜在影响时，该效应就消失了，这是研究中最重要的发现。大脑对微妙的环境因素十分敏感，但它也善于修正由此带来的偏差效应。 因此，意识到这一点有助于我们更理性地做出决策。”

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者;单位：武汉商学院外国语学院）