The DOI matches its Crossref record; 172 of the 173 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Gender differences in risk taking: a meta-analysis
Abstract
The authors conducted a meta-analysis of 150 studies in which the risk-taking tendencies of male and female participants were compared. Studies were coded with respect to type of task (e.g., self-reported behaviors vs. observed behaviors), task content (e.g., smoking vs. sex), and 5 age levels. Results showed that the average effects for 14 out of 16 types of risk taking were significantly larger than 0 (indicating greater risk taking in male participants) and that nearly half of the effects were greater than .20. However, certain topics (e.g., intellectual risk taking and physical skills) produced larger gender differences than others (e.g., smoking). In addition, the authors found that (a) there were significant shifts in the size of the gender gap between successive age levels, and (b) the gender gap seems to be growing smaller over time. The discussion focuses on the meaning of the results for theories of risk taking and the need for additional studies to clarify age trends.
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In the citing paper
“Later, several studies pointed out the greater risk-taking tendency of male teenagers [43,44] , which is attributed to more than two times fatal crash rates than their counterparts [45] .”
From Understanding the potential key risk factors associated with teen driver crashes in the United States: A literature review (2023) · cites this paper as [43]
In the citing paper
“Another relevant difference is that women are typically found to be more risk-averse than men (for reviews of the literature, see Byrnes et al., 1999; Croson & Gneezy, 2009; Eckel & Grossman, 2008).”
From Talking the talk, not walking the walk: The coevolution of overconfidence and loss aversion (2026) · cites this paper as Byrnes et al., 1999
In the citing paper
“In addition, sexual competition takes different forms in males and females, with males engaging in more physical aggression and substantially higher levels of risk-taking behavior (e.g., Archer, 2009; Byrnes et al., 1999; Kruger and Nesse, 2006; Wilson et al., 2002).”
From The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2011) · cites this paper as Byrnes et al., 1999
Citations
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Loewenstein, G. F., Weber, E. U., Hsee, C. K., & Welch, N. (2001) · Psychological Bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.127.2.267 · Cited by 5,955
Gender Differences in Preferences
Croson, R., & Gneezy, U. (2009) · Journal of Economic Literature · doi:10.1257/jel.47.2.448 · Cited by 5,694
Cognitive Reflection and Decision Making
Frederick, S. (2005) · Journal of Economic Perspectives · doi:10.1257/089533005775196732 · Cited by 5,256
A social neuroscience perspective on adolescent risk-taking
Steinberg, L. (2008) · Developmental Review · doi:10.1016/j.dr.2007.08.002 · Cited by 3,644
Do Women Shy Away From Competition? Do Men Compete Too Much?
Niederle, M., & Vesterlund, L. (2007) · The Quarterly Journal of Economics · doi:10.1162/qjec.122.3.1067 · Cited by 3,186
Metadata
- Authors
- Byrnes, J. P., Miller, D. C., & Schafer, W. D.
- Affiliations
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- ORCID
- Byrnes, James P.
- Venue
- Psychological Bulletin
- Published
- 1999-05
- Volume
- 125
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 367-383
- ISSN
- 0033-2909 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1455
- OpenAlex
- W2026217192
- Cited by
- 3,723
- References
- 173
- Citations by year
- 2026: 137 · 2025: 210 · 2024: 227 · 2023: 231 · 2022: 215 · 2021: 287 · 2020: 275 · 2019: 261 · 2018: 216 · 2017: 202 · 2016: 194 · 2015: 169 · 2014: 192 · 2013: 151 · 2012: 126
- FWCI
- 6.24
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychological Bulletin (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
- Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Personality Traits and Psychology
- Keywords
- gender differences, risk-taking, sex differences, age trends, intellectual risk-taking, physical skills, smoking, self-reported behavior, observed behavior
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- CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Gender differences in risk taking: a meta-analysis. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1037/0033-2909.125.3.367
- The paper
- Byrnes, J. P., Miller, D. C., & Schafer, W. D. (1999). Gender differences in risk taking: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.125.3.367
