When people are stressed, they make riskier decisions.

The biggest factor behind this change in behavior is a decrease in “loss aversion,” according to a recent study by University of Arkansas researchers, published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology. Loss aversion is the human tendency to be more affected by loss than gain. In other words, the pain of losing $100 is greater than the joy of winning $100.

The researchers also discovered that the effects of stress are different for men and women. In general, stress has a greater impact on men’s decision-making. Under stress, women are also better at predicting the outcome of a decision, while men have a better grasp of the consequences of that outcome.