Replication and extension of framing effects to compliance with health behaviors during pandemics
Outbreaks of infectious diseases represent a significant challenge for health authorities around the world Public cooperation and compliance with health recommendations constitute critical steps to stop the spread of such diseases But how should these recommendations be framed to achieve the most desirable outcomes? Across two experiments, we show that the classic Asian Disease Problem (Tversy and Kahneman, 1981) is replicable, regardless of disease type (real vs hypothetical) Thus, people are less (vs more) willing to take risks when information is positively (negatively) framed, irrespective of disease type, although they are generally more risk-averse in real pandemics Furthermore, peopl…
Selfless or Selfish? The Impact of Message Framing and Egoistic Motivation on Narcissists’ Compliance with Preventive Health Behaviors during COVID-19
COVID-19 is one of the greatest international health crises in recent years. Due to the highly contagious nature of the virus, the World Health Organization has recommended that people comply with a set of preventive measures to reduce the infection rate (e.g., social distancing, wearing a face mask, thorough personal hygiene). However, people typically differ in the extent to which they are willing to comply with such recommendations, as they imply certain personal restrictions. The present study aimed to investigate whether narcissism levels and message framing strategies affect individuals’ willingness to accept personal restrictions and, consequently, comply with a set of preventive hea…
Pandemic Prevention and Personality Psychology: Gender Differences in Preventive Health Behaviors during COVID-19 and the Roles of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness
One of the greatest public health crises in recent times, the COVID-19 pandemic, has come with a myriad of challenges in terms of health communication and public cooperation to prevent the spread of the disease. Understanding which are the key determinants that make certain individuals more cooperative is key in effectively tackling pandemics and similar future challenges. In the present study (N = 800), we investigated whether gender differences in compliance with preventive health behaviors (PHB) at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic could be established, and, if so, whether the personality traits of agreeableness and conscientiousness could help explain this presumed relationship. Consis…
Self-isolation for the self-centered: Negative framing increases narcissists' willingness to self-isolate during COVID-19 through higher response efficacy
Abstract The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has come with various health recommendations restricting personal freedom, such as social distancing and self-isolation. Considering the personal sacrifices involved, not all individuals are equally willing to comply with such recommendations, which might pose a health hazard further down the line. In a high-powered study (N = 800), we show that individual differences in narcissism influence the willingness to self-isolate during pandemics, with individuals high (vs. low) in narcissism being less willing to self-isolate. However, this tendency can be offset by tailored message framing. Specifically, individuals high (vs. low) in narcissism are mo…