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OBESITY AND THE RATE OF TIME PREFERENCE: IS THERE A CONNECTION?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2004

JOHN KOMLOS ,
PATRICIA K. SMITH  and
BARRY BOGIN
JOHN KOMLOS
Affiliation:
Department of Economics, University of Munich, Ludwigstraße 33/IV, D-80539 Munich, Germany,
PATRICIA K. SMITH
Affiliation:
Department of Social Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn MI, USA
BARRY BOGIN
Affiliation:
Department of Behavioral Sciences, University of Michigan-Dearborn, Dearborn MI, USA
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Abstract

It is hypothesized that recent trends in US and worldwide obesity are, in part, related to an increase in the marginal rate of time preference, where time preference refers to the rate at which people are willing to trade current benefit for future benefit. The higher the rate of time preference, the larger is the factor by which individuals discount the future health risks associated with current consumption. Data from the United States, as well as international evidence, suggest that a relationship between these two variables is plausible. The authors encourage researchers to explore the possible link between obesity and time preference, as important insights are likely to result.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 36 , Issue 2 , March 2004 , pp. 209 - 219
Copyright
© 2004 Cambridge University Press

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