The globalizability of temporal discounting

Economic inequality is associated with preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. Such temporal discounting may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear whether it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources for immediate needs. It is also not clear whether these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups. We tested temporal discounting and five intertemporal choice anomalies using local currencies and value standards in 61 countries (N = 13,629). Across a diverse sample, we found consistent, robust rates of choice anomalies. Lower-income groups were not significantly different, but economic inequality and broader financial circumstances were clearly correlated with population choice patterns

Hallucinations and related perceptual phenomena in systemic lupus erythematosus and inflammatory arthritis: A cross-sectional mixed-methods study

Background: The INSPIRE (Investigating Neuropsychiatric Symptom Prevalence and Impact in Rheumatology Patient Experiences) research project explored neuropsychiatric symptoms associated with Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases (SARDs), identifying hallucinatory experiences as lesser known but impactful symptoms. Following consultations with clinicians and patients, areas of focus included the prevalence, sensory modalities, insight, timings, and emotional valence of hallucinations in SARDs. Our previous research shows that hallucinations and related perceptual phenomena often go unreported and unrecognised in clinical settings with SARD patients. Objective: This study analyses and compares hallucination experiences in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and inflammatory arthritis (IA). We evaluated prevalence, modalities, insight, emotional valence, and timings of hallucinations. Methods: Quantitative data from cross-sectional surveys (n = 1022) and qualitative data from interviews were integrated using mixed methods. Quantitative data are presented descriptively and comparatively (using Pearson's χ2 tests), and qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Results: SLE patients reported a greater lifetime prevalence of hallucinations than IA patients, with significant differences in visual (12% vs 6%), olfactory (11% vs 6%), tactile (11% vs 5%), and presence (10% vs 3%) modalities (all P &lt; 0.005). Auditory hallucinations were not significantly more frequent in SLE (8%) than IA (5%) (P = 0.071). Consistent lack of insight into hallucinations was rare (11% of SLE and 4% of IA patients). SLE patients were significantly more likely to experience hallucinations in contexts unrelated to periods of sleep transition than IA patients (P = 0.020). Recognizing hallucinations as SARD symptoms helped patients develop positive coping mechanisms and reduced distress. However, fear of clinician judgment, stigma, and misdiagnoses discouraged reporting. Conclusions: The higher prevalence in SLE likely reflects its greater direct impact of SLE (compared to IA) on the brain. Hallucinatory experiences in SARDs aligned more closely with neurological diseases than primary psychotic disorders. Understanding the varying modalities and contexts of hallucinations as potential direct effects of SLE could improve attribution, treatment, and coping strategies, while reducing stigma and fostering open communication between patients and clinicians.</p

Self-reported cognitive dysfunction and memory impairment in Systemic Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases (SARDs): a mixed methods analysis of the INSPIRE cohort

Objectives: To explore self-reported cognitive dysfunction, including memory impairment, across systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) and examine its impact and associations with demographic, clinical and psychosocial factors. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was employed, surveying 1853 SARD patients and 463 controls using validated instruments including the Everyday Memory Questionnaire-Revised (EMQ-R). Kruskal–Wallis tests and Spearman’s rank correlations were used to compare the groups. Additionally, 67 in-depth interviews were conducted for qualitative thematic analysis. Results: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) and Sjögren’s patients reported significantly higher rates of memory impairments than other groups. There was no evidence of increased self-reported memory impairment with disease duration or age. Moderate positive associations were found between EMQ scores and the lifetime frequency of all other neuropsychiatric symptoms. EMQ-R was positively associated with self-assessment of overall disease activity (r = 0.291, P < 0.001) and negatively correlated with well-being (r = −0.397, R2 = 0.159). Expanding on the quantitative findings, qualitative analyses highlighted the adverse impact of cognitive dysfunction on daily participation in activities, social isolation, self-esteem and mental well-being, and the potential underreporting of these symptoms to clinicians. Conclusion: This study highlights a significant impairment of memory in SARDs, notably in SLE, UCTD and Sjögren’s, and the impact of cognitive impairment on daily lives and well-being. The positive associations with disease activity and neuropsychiatric symptoms, and negative association with well-being emphasizes the need for targeted interventions. Future research should prioritize developing pharmacological and psychosocial interventions to address cognitive dysfunction in SARD patients. While reassuringly there was no evidence of worsening memory impairment over time, the underreporting of symptoms also suggests that cognitive issues may be more prevalent than clinical records indicate and thus emphasize the importance of thorough patient assessment

The globalizability of temporal discounting

Economic inequality is associated with preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. Such temporal discounting may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear whether it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources for immediate needs. It is also not clear whether these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups. We tested temporal discounting and five intertemporal choice anomalies using local currencies and value standards in 61 countries (N = 13,629). Across a diverse sample, we found consistent, robust rates of choice anomalies. Lower-income groups were not significantly different, but economic inequality and broader financial circumstances were clearly correlated with population choice patterns.Fil: Ruggeri, Kai. Columbia University; Estados Unidos. University of Cambridge; Reino UnidoFil: Panin, Amma. Université Catholique de Louvain; BélgicaFil: Vdovic, Milica. Faculty Of Media And Communications; SerbiaFil: Većkalov, Bojana. University of Amsterdam; Países BajosFil: Abdul Salaam, Nazeer. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Achterberg, Jascha. Mrc Cognition And Brain Sciences Unit; Reino Unido. University of Cambridge; Reino UnidoFil: Akil, Carla. American University Of Beirut; LíbanoFil: Amatya, Jolly. UN Major Group for Children and Youth; NepalFil: Amatya, Kanchan. Organización de las Naciones Unidas. Unicef. Fondo de las Naciones Unidas para la Infancia; ArgentinaFil: Andersen, Thomas Lind. Ppr Svendborg; DinamarcaFil: Aquino, Sibele D.. Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro; Brasil. Laboratory of Research in Social Psychology; BrasilFil: Arunasalam, Arjoon. The Queens University of Belfast; IrlandaFil: Ashcroft Jones, Sarah. University of Oxford; Reino UnidoFil: Askelund, Adrian Dahl. University of Oslo; Noruega. Nic Waals Institute; NoruegaFil: Ayacaxli, Nélida. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Sheshdeh, Aseman Bagheri. St. Lawrence University; Estados UnidosFil: Bailey, Alexander. The Queens University of Belfast; IrlandaFil: Barea Arroyo, Paula. Colegio Universitario de Londres; Reino UnidoFil: Mejía, Genaro Basulto. Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica; MéxicoFil: Benvenuti, Martina. Universidad de Bologna; ItaliaFil: Berge, Mari Louise. Unaffiliated; HungríaFil: Bermaganbet, Aliya. Workforce Development Center; KazajistánFil: Bibilouri, Katherine. Sciencespo Paris; Francia. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Bjørndal, Ludvig Daae. University of Oslo; NoruegaFil: Black, Sabrina. University of St. Andrews; Reino UnidoFil: Lyshol, Johanna K. Blomster. Oslo New University College; NoruegaFil: Brik, Tymofii. Kyiv School Of Economics; UcraniaFil: Buabang, Eike Kofi. Katholikie Universiteit Leuven; BélgicaFil: Burghart, Matthias. University Of Konstanz (university Of Konstanz);Fil: Navajas Ahumada, Joaquin Mariano. Universidad Torcuato Di Tella; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

The globalizability of temporal discounting

Economic inequality is associated with extreme rates of temporal discounting, which is a behavioral pattern where individuals choose smaller, immediate financial gains over larger, delayed gains. Such patterns may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear if they are a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather absence of sufficient resources to meet immediate needs. It is also not clear if these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups. We test temporal discounting and five intertemporal choice anomalies using local currencies and value standards in 61 countries. Across a diverse sample of 13,629 participants, we found highly consistent rates of choice anomalies. Individuals with lower incomes were not significantly different, but economic inequality and broader financial circumstances impact population choice patterns

The globalizability of temporal discounting

Economic inequality is associated with extreme rates of temporal discounting, which is a behavioral pattern where individuals choose smaller, immediate financial gains over larger, delayed gains. Such patterns may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear if they are a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather absence of sufficient resources to meet immediate needs. It is also not clear if these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups. We test temporal discounting and five intertemporal choice anomalies using local currencies and value standards in 61 countries. Across a diverse sample of 13,629 participants, we found highly consistent rates of choice anomalies. Individuals with lower incomes were not significantly different, but economic inequality and broader financial circumstances impact population choice patterns.</p

The globalizability of temporal discounting

Acknowledgements: The authors received no specific funding for this work. A small amount of discretionary funding provided by K.R.’s institution paid for the pilot study participants and for honoraria to organizations that assisted with data collection in several locations. These were provided by Columbia University Undergraduate Global Engagement and the Department of Health Policy and Management. Funds to support open-access publication were provided by the MRC-CBU at the University of Cambridge through a UKRI grant (UKRI-MRC grant no. MC_UU_00005/6). None of these funders had any role in or influence over design, data collection, analysis or interpretation. All collaborators contributed in a voluntary capacity. We thank the Columbia University Office for Undergraduate Global Engagement. We also thank X. Li and L. Njozela, as well as the Centre for Business Research in the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge.Economic inequality is associated with preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. Such temporal discounting may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear whether it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources for immediate needs. It is also not clear whether these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups. We tested temporal discounting and five intertemporal choice anomalies using local currencies and value standards in 61 countries (N = 13,629). Across a diverse sample, we found consistent, robust rates of choice anomalies. Lower-income groups were not significantly different, but economic inequality and broader financial circumstances were clearly correlated with population choice patterns

The globalizability of temporal discounting

Abstract Economic inequality is associated with extreme preferences for smaller, immediate gains over larger, delayed ones. This pattern, known as temporal discounting, may feed into rising global inequality, yet it is unclear if it is a function of choice preferences or norms, or rather the absence of sufficient resources to meet immediate needs. It is also not clear if these reflect true differences in choice patterns between income groups. We tested temporal discounting and five intertemporal choice anomalies using local currencies and value standards in 61 countries. Across a diverse sample of 13,629 participants, we found highly consistent rates of choice anomalies. Individuals with lower incomes were not significantly different, but economic inequality and broader financial circumstances impact population choice patterns.</jats:p