Media intervention program for reducing unrealistic optimism bias: The link between unrealistic optimism, well-being, and health.

ABSTRACT: Unrealistic optimism is the tendency to perceive oneself as safer than others in situations that equally threaten everybody. By reducing fear, this bias boosts one's well-being; however, it is also a deterrent to one's health. Three experiments were run in a mixed-design on 1831 participants to eliminate unrealistic optimism (measured by two items-probability of COVID-19 infection for oneself and for others; within-subjects) toward the probability of COVID-19 infection via articles/videos. A between-subject factor was created by manipulation. Ostensibly, daily newspaper articles describing other people diligently following medical recommendations (experiment 1) and videos showing people who did not follow these recommendations (experiment 2) reduced unrealistic optimism. The third experime

SUBMITTER: Dolinski D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9298214 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature