Risky shift phenomenon

Used in the context of family purchase decision making a hypothesis that joint decision-making encourages the group to make riskier decisions because in this way, all members of the group can share the failure of a wrong decision. This hypothesis is more applicable when the level of perceived risk is high in the purchase of a product or service. This means that the decision the husband and wife make may result in the purchase of more expensive big ticket item than if either spouse made a decision alone. One research in US had found that wives were more willing to make riskier decisions for a variety of products after group discussion.