The impact of subjective socioeconomic status and threat cues on intertemporal decision-making

Intertemporal decision-making is the process by which individuals weigh the trade-offs between rewards and losses at different time points. This study investigates the influence of subjective socioeconomic status on intertemporal decision-making under varying threat cues, specifically resource scarcity and environmental uncertainty. Study 1 examines the effects of subjective socioeconomic status across conditions of resource scarcity (scarce vs. control vs. abundant) on intertemporal decisions. Study 2 explores the effects of subjective socioeconomic status under conditions of environmental uncertainty (uncertain vs. control vs. certain) on intertemporal decision-making. The results indicate that: (1) subjective socioeconomic status has a significant impact on intertemporal decision-making, with individuals of lower subjective socioeconomic status showing a greater preference for immediate rewards compared to those of higher subjective socioeconomic status; (2) threat cues also significantly affect intertemporal decision-making, as individuals in the resource scarcity and environmental uncertainty groups demonstrate a stronger preference for immediate rewards compared to those in the control group and the positive cue group; (3) resource scarcity moderates the relationship between subjective socioeconomic status and intertemporal decision-making. In the resource scarcity group, individuals with lower subjective socioeconomic status prefer immediate gratification more than their higher-status counterparts; however, no significant differences in intertemporal decision preferences are observed among individuals with differing subjective socioeconomic statuses in the control and abundant groups; (4) environmental uncertainty acts as a moderator between subjective socioeconomic status and intertemporal choices, with individuals of lower subjective socioeconomic status preferring immediate gratification more in the uncertain environment than those with higher subjective socioeconomic status; again, no significant differences are noted in the control and certain environment groups regarding intertemporal decision preferences among different socioeconomic status groups. This research expands the field of intertemporal decision-making by demonstrating how culturally embedded threat cues in China (e.g., intense social mobility competition and family-based obligations) condition the SSS–intertemporal choice link, contributing to a more objective understanding of the decision preferences of individuals with low subjective socioeconomic status.