The reason: active community members believe if their risky behavior backfires, the community will come to their rescue -- which, in reality, isn't likely.

That’s according to a recent authored by a quartet of professors from three universities.

According to the researchers, this study is the first to show that participation in an online community influences a person's financial decision-making in a systematic way, leading them to make riskier choices and behave in riskier ways.

Taking risks because you believe your virtual buddies will cushion any bad outcomes is a bad idea, warned the researchers -- Rui Zhu and Utpal M. Dholakia, of Rice University; Xinlei Chen, of the University of British Columbia; and René Algesheimer, of the University of Zurich.

Online bonds are much more tenuous than those found in the real world, the study explained. Members of online communities will likely not know each other offline and have no connections other than their virtual relationship. "Indeed, in many cases, they might not even know the real names or geographic locations of these individuals," the study said.