Why Playing It Safe Can Age You Faster

Research shows that risk aversion (especially among low-income or immigrant families) may keep us stuck. Here’s how I broke the cycle..and how you can too.

Jul 09, 2025

Neither of my parents graduated college.

Each of my Ivy League degrees was fully funded. So was my master's (through a Fulbright).

But when I started Nourish, and bootstrapped it with my hard-earned savings, it was the first time I invested real capital in myself.

No scholarship.

No institutional brand cushioning the blow.

Just my own bank account and a loooooot of late-night heart palpitations.

And I was terrified.

What if I failed? What if I ended up like my mom, who worked for decades as a domestic laborer just to get by?

Spoiler: I did fail. Often. I made mistakes. Daily. BIG ONES. Missed opportunities. Got my butt handed to me by CAC and COGS.

But here’s what surprised me: Failure didn't feel like a fiery pit of doom. It felt... survivable. Sometimes even liberating. Like stretching a muscle I didn't know I had.

Why Risk Feels Scarier When You Grew Up Without a Net

Behavioral science backs this up. People from low-income backgrounds are often more risk-averse. Not because they lack drive, but because the stakes are simply higher.

When there's no family money to catch you, failure feels existential.

Researchers Haushofer and Fehr (2014) show that poverty impacts cognitive bandwidth, increasing stress and narrowing risk tolerance. Mullainathan and Shafir (2013) argue in Scarcity that when you're constantly managing limited resources, it's harder to plan long-term or make bold bets.

Add to that the "immigrant child" effect: a tug-of-war between inherited caution and hardwired hustle. Some studies find immigrants are more likely to become entrepreneurs (Fairlie & Lofstrom, 2015), but others show second-gen children can internalize financial anxiety from watching their parents struggle (Borjas, 1999).

Why I Took the Leap Anyway

In my PhD, I studied how adversity can shape resilience and leadership.

Turns out, there's a sweet spot: too much adversity can break you. But moderate, manageable adversity? That builds strength.

One study (Seery, Holman, & Silver, 2010) found that people who'd faced a few tough experiences were actually more resilient than those who had none at all. It’s like a vaccine. Stress inoculation.

Building Nourish was my stress inoculation bootcamp. A startup MBA with tuition paid in cortisol.

So How Do You Take a Calculated Risk (Without Losing Your Mind)?

Here’s what helped me (and what might help you, especially if you're risk-averse by background, not by choice).

1. Define the Downside
Don’t catastrophize. Write out your actual worst-case scenario. Most of the time, it’s uncomfortable, not unlivable.

2. Buffer It
Build a small cushion. Whether it’s savings, part-time work, or a very generous aunt—a little buffer buys a lot of courage.

3. Shrink the Leap
Can you test your idea in 10 hours, not 10 months? MVPs and pilots aren’t just for tech bros.

4. Add Safety Nets
Community, mentors, co-founders, group chats with too many memes (YES they matter).

5. Look Back, Not Just Forward
List the hard things you’ve already survived. That’s evidence. Use it.

What This Has to Do With Longevity

So why am I telling this story on a Substack about long-term thriving?

Because risk-taking isn't just for billionaires with backup yachts. It's part of meaningful living. The people who age well (in health, purpose, and joy) tend to be those who kept stretching. Who stayed curious. Who took leaps, even small ones.

Calculated risk is how we stay alive while we're alive.

And when we do it right? It doesn't just extend our lifespan. It deepens it.

Thrive Thoughtfully - by Dr. Arianna Beetz

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