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

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cris.lastimport.scopus2025-08-30T03:13:58Z
dc.abstract.enUnrealistic 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 experiment, which included both articles and videos, replicated these results. These results can be applied to strategies for written and video communications that can be used by governments and public health agencies as best practices concerning not only COVID-19 but also any subsequent public health threat while promoting proactive, optimal, and healthy functioning of the individual.
dc.affiliationWydział Psychologii we Wrocławiu
dc.contributor.authorDoliński, Dariusz
dc.contributor.authorKulesza, Wojciech
dc.contributor.authorMuniak, Paweł
dc.contributor.authorDolińska, Barbara
dc.contributor.authorWęgrzyn, Rafał
dc.contributor.authorIzydorczak, Kamil
dc.date.access2022-03
dc.date.accessioned2024-06-27T09:32:11Z
dc.date.available2024-06-27T09:32:11Z
dc.date.created2021-10-06
dc.date.issued2022-05
dc.description.abstract<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>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 experiment, which included both articles and videos, replicated these results. These results can be applied to strategies for written and video communications that can be used by governments and public health agencies as best practices concerning not only COVID‐19 but also any subsequent public health threat while promoting proactive, optimal, and healthy functioning of the individual.</jats:p>
dc.description.accesstimeat_publication
dc.description.issue2
dc.description.physical499-518
dc.description.versionfinal_published
dc.description.volume14
dc.identifier.doi10.1111/aphw.12316
dc.identifier.issn1758-0846
dc.identifier.issn1758-0854
dc.identifier.urihttps://share.swps.edu.pl/handle/swps/758
dc.identifier.weblinkhttps://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aphw.12316
dc.languageen
dc.pbn.affiliationpsychologia
dc.rightsCC-BY
dc.rights.questionYes_rights
dc.share.articleOTHER
dc.subject.enapplied social psychology
dc.subject.enCOVID-19
dc.subject.enhealth and well-being
dc.subject.enmedia intervention program
dc.subject.enunrealistic optimism bias
dc.swps.sciencecloudnosend
dc.titleMedia intervention program for reducing unrealistic optimism bias: The link between unrealistic optimism, well‐being, and health
dc.title.journalApplied Psychology: Health and Well-Being
dc.typeJournalArticle
dspace.entity.typeArticle