Delay discounting and health risk behaviors: the potential role of stress

• Delay discounting is an important process in the initiation and maintenance of health-risk behaviors.
• The relationship between stress and the engagement in health risk behaviors has been well documented across the lifespan.
• Individuals under stress may shift from future oriented to more immediate goals leading to riskier health decisions.

This article explores recent research in delay discounting, stress and the relationship of these constructs with health risk behaviors. Recent findings have confirmed that both delay discounting and stress are important correlates of risky health behaviors and have advanced our understanding of the relationship between discounting and stress and their role as processes related to the initiation and maintenance of risky health behaviors. An integration of the available research literature suggests that when individuals are under stress, they shift to a more immediate-oriented mindset (as reflected by more impulsive delay discounting), the immediate motivation being to relieve stress, and so individuals engage in maladaptive coping mechanisms, such as engaging in risky health behaviors. Establishing linkages between stress, delay discounting, and risky health behaviors could provide a more specific mechanism (i.e., delay discounting) on which to focus prevention and intervention strategies.