Framing health messages systematically in terms of either gains or losses influences the behaviors that people adopt. Rothman and Salovey proposed that the relative influence of gain-and loss-framed messages is contingent on people’s perception of the risk or uncertainty associated with adopting the recommended behavior. Specifically, loss-framed messages are more effective when promoting illness-detecting (screening) behaviors, but gain-framed messages are more effective when promoting health-affirming (prevention) behaviors. Two experiments provide a direct test of this conceptual framework. In Experiment 1, participants’ willingness to act after reading about a new disease was a function of how the information was framed and the type of behavior promoted. Experiment 2 replicated and extended these findings with a real health concern—gum disease. Gain-framed pamphlets heightened interest in a plaque-fighting mouth rinse, whereas loss-framed pamphlets heightened interest in a plaque-detecting disclosing rinse. Research on message framing provides a theoretically based guide for the development of effective health messages.
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