A Laughing Matter? How Humor in Alcohol Ads Influences Interpersonal Communication and Persuasion

Dying to Fit In: How Interpersonal Networks Shape COVID-19 Health Outcomes Through Discussion and Social Norms

Research has repeatedly demonstrated the ability of social networks, interpersonal discussion, and perceived social norms to shape health-related outcomes. There are still substantial gaps, however, in understanding the theoretical mechanism that holds these components together, as well as the boundary conditions of their effects. Employing ego-network analysis with a representative sample of Illinois residents (N = 711) and focusing on the context of COVID-19 vaccine adherence, this study constructs a comprehensive framework to examine the direct, indirect, and conditional relationships linking social capital within networks, factual knowledge, and vaccination. Overall, the results point to the ability of tight-knit networks to influence knowledge and behavior for better or worse, depending on the composition of the network and its conversational valence. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Comparing Message Appeals Employed in Efforts to Prevent E-cigarette Use Among Students in a US University

College students tend to underestimate the risk associated with e-cigarette use while overestimating the prevalence of this behavior. The purpose of this study was to compare the perceived effectiveness of social norms messages to other theoretical appeals regarding the prevention of e-cigarette use. Researchers surveyed 586 college students who assessed five messages. Different appeals were featured in each message. A Rasch Rating Scale Model (RSM) was used to calibrate students' responses to seven items assessing each communication message. The results from the multiple regression models revealed that vape-users were less receptive to the messages than abstainers, and among vape users, males expressed lower message endorsement than females. Overall, the clinical appeal received the highest endorsement in Rasch calibrated logit unit measures, (M = 3.36 for abstainers and M = 2.41 for vape-users), whereas the social norms message was the least favored (M = 1.41 for abstainers and M = 0.22 for vape-users). Qualitative analyses revealed common themes of skepticism and a need for credible scientific information. Findings suggest college students prefer clinical evidence over normative information. An experimental design is needed to determine the extent to which messages influence behavior change.

Yet Again Conversations Matter: The Importance of Interpersonal Discussions, Educational Campaigns, and Advertising on Cannabis-Related Risk Perceptions, Attitudes, and Intentions in At-Risk Young Adults

The present study seeks to evaluate the relationships between cannabis-related communication and outcomes of interest such as cannabis-related risk perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors among young adults. Young adults who were at risk for cannabis use were surveyed online in 2020. Results showed that exposure to online educational messages was associated with higher intentions of engaging in peer intervention, while exposure to online advertising was related to higher intention to use cannabis. Anti-cannabis interpersonal discussion was associated with increased risk perceptions, less favorable cannabis attitudes, and a higher likelihood of peer intervention. More pro-cannabis interpersonal discussion was associated with decreased risk perceptions, more favorable cannabis attitudes, higher use intention, and decreased likelihood of peer intervention. In addition, pro-cannabis interpersonal discussion mediated the relationship between exposure to advertising and cannabis risk perceptions, intentions to use cannabis, attitudes about cannabis, and the likelihood of peer intervention. In contrast, anti-cannabis interpersonal discussion mediated the relationship between exposure to educational messages online and cannabis risk perceptions and the likelihood of peer intervention. These findings underscore the need to regulate online cannabis marketing and the importance of investing in online education campaigns to increase public understanding of the risks associated with cannabis consumption in young adulthood.

Humour Against Binge Drinking During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cartoon-Based Anti-Alcohol Health Campaign Targeting Women-Who-Have-Sex-With-Women

This study focuses on the role of humour in health and well-being of women-who-have-sex-with-women (WSW) during COVID-19. This group has been shown to be vulnerable to alcohol abuse, especially as self-medication coping with social consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated the potential usefulness of WSW-inclusive (i.e., depicting a female-female romantic couple) versus hetero-normative (i.e., depicting a male-female romantic couple) humorous cartoons in an anti-alcohol health campaign against excessive drinking among WSW. One-hundred-and-twenty-seven self-categorized WSW of diverse genders (woman, non-binary) and sexual orientations (e.g., lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, queer, heterosexual) participated in a 2 × 2 factorial between-participants design. Data were collected during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic in The Netherlands. Humorous cartoons explicitly referring to lockdown measures systematically varied the humour subject (punchline about excessive drinking versus staying sober) and the couple (male-female, female-female) that were depicted. Although the (very brief) health message did not influence binge drinking determinants, the humorous health campaign depicting a female-female couple was perceived as more inclusive and evoked more amusement and less anger than when the cartoons depicted a male-female couple. High WSW identifiers were less amused about the health campaign text (but not the cartoons), less likely to share campaign materials offline (but not online), and had more positive binge drinking attitudes but lower binge drinking intentions than low identifiers. Implications are discussed.

Your Eyes Do Not Lie! Dissecting Humor Effects in Health Messages Using Eye Tracker Technology

In the past decade, humor in scientific research has become more and more popular providing an increase of data identifying the context in which humor is a promising communication strategy in preventive health messages. To avoid the limits of declarative responses usually recorded in past studies, eye tracker technology offers the possibility to assess and dissect the effects of humor on visual attention. In this brief report, we first attempt to extend the results of previous studies by recording eye movements while participants were exposed to humorous and nonhumorous print health ads dealing with tobacco and alcohol consumption. A secondary purpose is specifically to test the visual attention French women devoted to humorous tobacco preventive ads, the worrying results of recent studies urging to find a way to improve tobacco preventive campaigns. Based on three complementary eye-tracking measures (i.e., total dwell time, fixation count, and revisits), the results showed that humorous health messages were scanned longer and more frequently and revisited more often compared to nonhumorous ones. In addition, humor appeared to reduce smokers' avoidance of preventive tobacco messages. The different pattern of visual exploration confirms that humor is a good strategy to grab attention even of individuals who are involved in the health topic addressed. In short, this paper argues for introducing lightness into a very serious subject, health communication, based on the analysis of eye movement evidence.

Narrative Engagement and Interpersonal Communication about Substance Use on Adolescent Substance Use Behaviors: A Case Study of keepin' it REAL

The present study examined direct and indirect effects of adolescent narrative engagement on substance use behaviors via refusal self-efficacy. This study also tested moderation effects of communication about substance use with parents, siblings, and friends on substance use behaviors. Students in 8^th grade (N = 225) participated in surveys at two different time points. Path analyses revealed a positive association between identification with main characters and refusal self-efficacy as well as negative associations between refusal self-efficacy and the past 30-days substance use. Communication with parents and friends significantly moderated the relationship between refusal self-efficacy and the past 30-days substance use.