Living, fast and slow
Why do some people focus on long-term goals and helping others, while others act more impulsively and prioritize short-term rewards? This dissertation explores how early-life experiences shape these patterns, using the framework of Life History Theory—an evolutionary model originally used to explain behavioral differences between animal species.
Applied to humans, the theory suggests that people growing up in harsh and unpredictable environments tend to develop a “faster” life strategy: focused on short-term survival, impulsivity, and less regard for social bonds. In contrast, those raised in stable and nurturing conditions are more likely to adopt a “slower” strategy: investing in long-term goals, relationships, and self-control.
Through several studies, this dissertation shows how these strategies influence not only people’s values and motivations but also how they respond to social cues and brands. For instance, individuals with slower strategies are more sensitive to social exclusion but more responsive to prosocial messages, while faster strategists tend to be more resilient to rejection but less engaged with calls for altruism. Strikingly, exclusive and high-status brands can negatively impact the self-image and decision-making of faster strategists.
This research highlights how childhood environments have lasting effects on consumer behavior and social sensitivity, offering new insights into why people perceive and react to the world—and marketing—so differently.