Can self-protective behaviors increase unrealistic optimism? Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abstract

People tend to believe they are more (less) likely to experience positive (negative) outcomes than similar others. While research has consistently shown that feeling unrealistically optimistic about future events influences the adoption of self-protective behaviors, much less is known about the opposite relationship. We address this gap by examining whether and how self-protective behaviors influence unrealistic optimism in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Across two preregistered, high-powered experiments (N = 4,707), we document a generalized unrealistic optimism about the health risks associated with COVID-19. Critically, we show that prompting people to think about a precautionary behavior they often perform (i.e., mask wearing) magnifies this preexisting tendency. Egocentrism, but not self-enhancement and/or better-than-average effects, helps to explain the phenomenon. Theoretical contributions and substantive implications to health risk research and policy are discussed. Public Significance StatementThis research shows that past self-protective behaviors (e.g., mask wearing) enhance people's propensity to feel unrealistically safer than similar others. This finding suggests that although encouraging precautionary measures is fundamental to boost self-protection, communication strategies should not just focus on the safety benefits of such measures, but also ask individuals to be wary of this potential unintended psychological consequence.

Risk perception, decision-making, and risk communication in the time of COVID-19.

“…Vieites et al (2021) provided evidence for unrealistic optimism when participants were asked to compare themselves to similar others. Thus, as with many other situations (e.g., Sparks et al, 1995) people tended to think they were less likely to experience negative health outcomes than were other individuals with the same characteristics (Vieites et al, 2021). In addition, perceived risk was reduced by engaging in protective behaviors (Vieites et al, 2021).…”

“…Despite this, several researchers found that many people had a fairly accurate understanding of relative risk when comparing groups with different characteristics, such as the greater risk for older compared to younger individuals (Garfin et al, 2021; Joslyn et al, 2021). Vieites et al (2021) provided evidence for unrealistic optimism when participants were asked to compare themselves to similar others. Thus, as with many other situations (e.g., Sparks et al, 1995) people tended to think they were less likely to experience negative health outcomes than were other individuals with the same characteristics (Vieites et al, 2021).…”

“…The studies reported here also identified other factors that influenced decision-making in this unique context, many related to how people weigh risks and evaluate costs and benefits of possible actions. Several studies address the demands of complying with multiple simultaneous restrictions and behavioral adjustments (Garfin et al, 2021; Luckman et al, 2021; Vieites et al, 2021; Joslyn et al, 2021). For instance, there is evidence that taking a single precautionary action (e.g., wearing a face mask) reduces intentions to enact additional precautionary behaviors (Luckman et al, 2021), and reduces risk perception (Vieites et al, 2021).…”

“…Several studies address the demands of complying with multiple simultaneous restrictions and behavioral adjustments (Garfin et al, 2021; Luckman et al, 2021; Vieites et al, 2021; Joslyn et al, 2021). For instance, there is evidence that taking a single precautionary action (e.g., wearing a face mask) reduces intentions to enact additional precautionary behaviors (Luckman et al, 2021), and reduces risk perception (Vieites et al, 2021). In addition, emotional responses to imposed restrictions such as quarantine (e.g., boredom, feelings of social isolation) also influenced decisions about engaging in risky behaviors (Tsai & Zeng 2021).…”

Psychological and Social Vulnerability in Spaniards’ Quality of Life in the Face of COVID-19: Age and Gender Results

“…For example, social vulnerability refers to the strength of communities when faced with complex external factors such as the social rupture caused by COVID-19 [ 1 ]. This phenomenon has posed important challenges for society, causing increases in depressive and obsessive-compulsive symptoms [ 4 ]. Social distancing measures have had extremely negative effects worldwide, giving rise to social instability mainly among vulnerable populations; for example, in low-income households with children [ 5 ], the well-being of families is of particular concern due to the potential lasting effects on health and cognitive and social development.…”