New York, Sep 24 (IANS): Do you believe guardian angels are keeping a protective eye on you? This constant feeling may make you averse towards taking risks in life, found a study.

Researchers surveyed 198 individuals. Among those who believed in guardian angels, a healthy percentage, to the tune of 68, said that this belief affects how they take risks.

While some expressed that their belief in guardian angels made them take up risky ventures, the majority were averse to taking risks.

For example, when asked to provide their opinion about risky driving, the majority of those who did not believe in guardian angels felt that driving 20 km per hour over the speed limit was a risk level of two on a scale of one to five.

While the majority of those who do believe in guardian angels believed that it was a risk level of three.

"It may be that people who have a tendency to view the world as being risky or potentially dangerous are more inclined to have a belief in personal guardian spirits," researchers commented.

The study, authored by researchers David Etkin, Jelena Ivanova, Susan MacGregor and Alalia Spektor, was published in the open access journal SAGE Open.