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In COVID-19 health messaging, loss framing increases anxiety with little-to-no concomitant benefits: Experimental evidence from 84 countries.

Dorison, C. A., Lerner, J. S., Heller, B. H., Rothman, A. J., Kawachi, I. I., Wang, K., Rees, V. W., Gill, B. P., Gibbs, N., Ebersole, C. R., Vally, Z., Tajchman, Z., Zsido, A. N., Zrimsek, M., Chen, Z., Ziano, I., Gialitaki, Z., Ceary, C. D., Jang, Y., Lin, Y., Kunisato, Y., Yamada, Y., Xiao, Q., Jiang, X., Du, X., Yao, E., Ryan, W., Wilson, J. P., Cyrus-Lai, W., Jimenez-Leal, W., Law, W., Unanue, W., Collins, W. M., Richard, K. L., Vranka, M., Ankushev, V., Schei, V., DePaola, C., Lerche, V., Kovic, V., Križanić, V., Kadreva, V. H., Adoric, V. C., Tran, U. S., Yeung, S. K., Hassan, W., Houston, R., Machin, M. A., Lima, T. J. S., Ostermann, T., Frizzo, T., Sverdrup, T. E., House, T., Gill, T., Fedotov, M., Paltrow, T., Jernsäther, T., Rahman, T., Machin, T., Koptjevskaja-Tamm, M., Hostler, T. J., Ishii, T., Szaszi, B., Adamus, S., Suter, L., von Bormann, S. M., Habib, S., Studzinska, A., Stojanovska, D., Janssen, S. M. J., Stieger, S., Schulenberg, S. E., Tatachari, S., Azouaghe, S., Sorokowski, P., Sorokowska, A., Song, X., Morbée, S., Lewis, S. C., Sinkolova, S., Grigoryev, D., Drexler, S. M., Daches, S., Levine, S. L., Geniole, S. N., Akter, S., Vračar, S., Massoni, S., Costa, S., Zorjan, S., Sarıoğuz, E., Morales Izquierdo, S., Tshonda, S. S., Alves, S. G., Pöntinen, S., Álvarez Solas, S., Ordoñez-Riaño, S., Batić Očovaj, S., Onie, S., Lins, S., Biberauer, T., Çoksan, S., Khumkom, S., Sacakli, A., Ruiz-Fernández, S., Geiger, S. J., FatahModares, S., Walczak, R. B., Betlehem, R., Vilar, R., Doekemeijer, R., Cárcamo, R., Ross, R. M., McCarthy, R., Ballantyne, T., Westgate, E. C., Gargurevich, R., Afhami, R., Ren, D., Monteiro, R. P., Reips, U-D., Reggev, N., Calin-Jageman, R. J., Pourafshari, R., London, R., Oliveira, R., Nedelcheva-Datsova, M., Rahal, R-M., Ribeiro, R. R., Radtke, T., Searston, R., Jai-ai, R., Habte, R., Zdybek, P., Chen, S-C., Wajanatinapart, P., Maturan, P. L. G., Perillo, J. T., Isager, P. M., Kačmár, P., Macapagal, P. M., Maniaci, M. R., Szwed, P., Hanel, P. H. P., Forbes, P. A. G., Arriaga, P., Paris, B., Parashar, N., Papachristopoulos, K., Sebastián-Correa, P., Kácha, O., Bernardo, M., Campos, O., Niño Bravo, O., Galindo-Caballero, O. J., Ogbonnaya, C. E., Bialobrzeska, O., Kiselnikova, N., Simonovic, N., Cohen, N., Nock, N. L., Hernandez, A., Thogersen-Ntoumani, C., Ntoumanis, N., Johannes, N., Albayrak-Aydemir, N., Say, N., Neubauer, A. B., Martin, N. I., Torunsky, N., van Antwerpen, N., Van Doren, N., Sunami, N., Rachev, N. R., Majeed, N. M., Schmidt, N-D., Nadif, K., Corral-Frías, N. S., Ouherrou, N., Abbas, N., Pantazi, M., Lucas, M. Y., Vasilev, M. R., Ortiz, M. V., Butt, M. M., Kurfali, M., Kabir, M., Muda, R., Tejada Rivera, M. C., Sirota, M., Seehuus, M., Parzuchowski, M., Toro, M., Hricova, M., Alarcón Maldonado, M., Rentzelas, P., Vansteenkiste, M., Metz, M. A., Marszalek, M., Karekla, M., Mioni, G., Bosma, M. J., Westerlund, M., Vdovic, M., Bialek, M., Silan, M. A., Anne, M., Misiak, M., Gugliandolo, M. C., Grinberg, M., Capizzi, M., Espinoza Barría, M. F., Kurfali, M. A., Mensink, M. C., Harutyunyan, M., Khosla, M., Dunn, M. R., Korbmacher, M., Adamkovič, M., Ribeiro, M. F. F., Terskova, M., Hruška, M., Martončik, M., Jansen, M., Voracek, M., Čadek, M., Frias-Armenta, M., Kowal, M., Topor, M., Roczniewska, M., Oosterlinck, M., Braun Kohlová, M., Paruzel-Czachura, M., Sabristov, M., Romanova, M., Papadatou-Pastou, M., Lund, M. L., Antoniadi, M., Magrin, M. E., Jones, M. V., Ortiz, M. S., Manavalan, M., Muminov, A., Kossowska, M., Friedemann, M., Wielgus, M., van Hooff, M. L. M., Varella, M. A. C., Standage, M., Nicolotti, M., Colloff, M. F., Bradford, M., Vaughn, L. A., Eudave, L., Vieira, L., Sanabria Pineda, L. M., Matos, L., Calderón Pérez, L., Lazarevic, L. B., Jaremka, L. M., Smit, E. S., Kushnir, E., Ferguson, L. J., Anton-Boicuk, L., Lins de Holanda Coelho, G., Ahlgren, L., Liga, F., Levitan, C. A., Micheli, L., Gunton, L-A., Volz, L., Stojanovska, M., Boucher, L., Samojlenko, L., Javela Delgado, L. G., Kaliska, L., Labadi, B., Warmelink, L., Rojas-Berscia, L. M., Yu, K., Wylie, K., Wachowicz, J., Desai, K., Barzykowski, K., Kozma, L., Evans, K., Kirgizova, K., Agesin, B. E., Koehn, M. A., Wolfe, K., Korobova, T., Morris, K., Klevjer, K., van Schie, K., Vezirian, K., Damnjanović, K., Krabbe Thommesen, K., Schmidt, K., Filip, K., Staniaszek, K., Grzech, K., Hoyer, K., Moon, K., Khaobunmasiri, S., Rana, K., Janjić, K., Suchow, J. W., Kielińska, J., Cruz Vásquez, J. E., Chanal, J., Beitner, J., Vargas-Nieto, J. C., Roxas, J. C. T., Taber, J., Urriago-Rayo, J., Pavlacic, J. M., Benka, J., Bavolar, J., Soto, J. A., Olofsson, J. K., Vilsmeier, J. K., Messerschmidt, J., Czamanski-Cohen, J., Waterschoot, J., Moss, J. D., Boudesseul, J., Lee, J. M., Kamburidis, J., Joy-Gaba, J. A., Zickfeld, J., Miranda, J. F., Verharen, J. P. H., Hristova, E., Beshears, J. E., Đorđević, J. M., Bosch, J., Valentova, J. V., Antfolk, J., Berkessel, J. B., Schrötter, J., Urban, J., Röer, J. P., Norton, J. O., Silva, J. R., Pickering, J. S., Vintr, J., Uttley, J., Kunst, J. R., Ndukaihe, I. L. G., Iyer, A., Vilares, I., Ivanov, A., Ropovik, I., Sula, I., Sarieva, I., Metin-Orta, I., Prusova, I., Pinto, I., Bozdoc, A. I., Almeida, I. A. T., Pit, I. L., Dalgar, I., Zakharov, I., Arinze, A. I., Ihaya, K., Stephen, I. D., Gjoneska, B., Brohmer, H., Flowe, H., Godbersen, H., Kocalar, H. E., Hedgebeth, M. V., Chuan-Peng, H., Sharifian, M. H., Manley, H., Akkas, H., Hajdu, N., Azab, H., Kaminski, G., Nilsonne, G., Anjum, G., Travaglino, G. A., Feldman, G., Pfuhl, G., Czarnek, G., Marcu, G. M., Hofer, G., Banik, G., Adetula, G. A., Bijlstra, G., Verbruggen, F., Kung, F. Y. H., Martela, F., Foroni, F., Forest, J., Singer, G., Muchembled, F., Azevedo, F., Mosannenzadeh, F., Marinova, E., Štrukelj, E., Etebari, Z., Baskin, E., Garcia, E. O. L., Musser, E., van Steenkiste, I. M. M., Bradshaw, E. L., Ahn, E. R., Quested, E., Pronizius, E., Jackson, E. A., Manunta, E., Agadullina, E., Šakan, D., Dursun, P., Dujols, O., Dubrov, D., Willis, M., Tümer, M., Beaudry, J. L., Popović, D., Dunleavy, D., Djamai, I., Krupić, D., Herrera, D., Vega, D., Du, H., Mola, D., Chakarova, D., Davis, W. E., Holford, D. L., Lewis, D. M. G., Vaidis, D. C., Hausman Ozery, D., Zambrano Ricaurte, D., Storage, D., Sousa, D., Serrato Alvarez, D., Boller, D., Dalla Rosa, A., Dimova, D., Krupić, D., Marko, D., Moreau, D., Reeck, C., Correia, R. C., Whitt, C. M., Lamm, C., Singh Solorzano, C., von Bastian, C.C., Sutherland, C. A. M., Overkott, C., Aberson, C. L., Wang, C., Niemiec, C. P., Reimer, C., Karashiali, C., Noone, C., Chiu, F., Picciocchi, C., Eben, C., Brownlow, C., Karaarslan, C., Cellini, N., Esteban-Serna, C., Reyna, C., Ferreyra, C., Batres, C., Li, R., Grano, C., Carpentier, J., Tamnes, C. K., Fu, C. H. Y., Ishkhanyan, B., Bylinina, L., Jaeger, B., Bundt, C., Bulut Allred, T., Vermote, B. J., Bokkour, A., Bogatyreva, N., Shi, J., Chopik, W. J., Antazo, B., Becker, M., Bayyat, M. M., Cocco, B., Chou, W-L., Barkoukis, V., Aczel, B., Baklanova, E., Bai, H., Balci, B. B., Babinčák, P., Soenens, B., Dixson, B. J. W., Mokady, A., Kappes, H. B., Atari, M., Szala, A., Szabelska, A., Aruta, J. J. B., Domurat, A., Arinze, N. C., Modena, A., Adiguzel, A., Monajem, A., El Arabi, K. A., Özdoğru, A. A., Rothbaum, A. O., Torres, A. J. O., Theodoropoulou, A., Skowronek, A., Jurković, A. P., Singh, A., Kassianos, A. P., Findor, A., Hartanto, A., Thibault Landry, A., Ferreira, A., Caetano Santos, A., De la Rosa-Gomez, A., Gourdon-Kanhukamwe, A., Luxon, A. M., Todsen, A. L., Karababa, A., Janak, A., Pilato, A., Bran, A., Tullett, A. M., Kuzminska, A. O., Krafnick, A. J., Urooj, A., Khaoudi, A., Ahmed, A., Groyecka-Bernard, A., Askelund, A. D., Adetula, A., Belaus, A., Charyate, A. C., Wichman, A. L., Stoyanova, A., Greenburgh, A., Thomas, A. G., Arvanitis, A., Forscher, P. S., Mallik, P. R., Primbs, M. A., Miller, J. K., Moshontz, H., Urry, H. L., IJzerman, H., Basnight-Brown, D. M., Chartier, C. R., Buchanan, E. M. and Coles, N. A., 2022. In COVID-19 health messaging, loss framing increases anxiety with little-to-no concomitant benefits: Experimental evidence from 84 countries. Affective Science, 3, 577-602.

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Official URL: https://www.springer.com/journal/42761

DOI: 10.1007/s42761-022-00128-3

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic (and its aftermath) highlights a critical need to communicate health information effectively to the global public. Given that subtle differences in information framing can have meaningful effects on behavior, behavioral science research highlights a pressing question: Is it more effective to frame COVID-19 health messages in terms of potential losses (e.g., “If you do not practice these steps, you can endanger yourself and others”) or potential gains (e.g., “If you practice these steps, you can protect yourself and others”)? Collecting data in 48 languages from 15,929 participants in 84 countries, we experimentally tested the effects of message framing on COVID-19-related judgments, intentions, and feelings. Loss- (vs. gain-) framed messages increased self-reported anxiety among participants cross-nationally with little-to-no impact on policy attitudes, behavioral intentions, or information seeking relevant to pandemic risks. These results were consistent across 84 countries, three variations of the message framing wording, and 560 data processing and analytic choices. Thus, results provide an empirical answer to a global communication question and highlight the emotional toll of loss-framed messages. Critically, this work demonstrates the importance of considering unintended affective consequences when evaluating nudge-style interventions.

Item Type:Article
ISSN:2662-2041
Uncontrolled Keywords:Message framing; Anxiety; Nudges; COVID-19
Group:Faculty of Science & Technology
ID Code:37157
Deposited By: Symplectic RT2
Deposited On:15 Jul 2022 08:23
Last Modified:26 Sep 2023 01:08

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