..because everyone else is a tool for your pleasure.

171107 Saturday

"Who doesn't know the pictures on European cigarette packets? The pictures of badly damaged lungs will definitely make people stop smoking!"

Answer: FALSE

Fear often warns us from harmful influences, but not always. Besides being a warning sign, it also leads to active attempts to deal with the source of fear.

However, only the source of fear combined with the feeling that people can prevent the damaged lungs from happening to them will lead to an attempt to stop. Simple exposure to terrible pictures does not lead to dealing with the source of fear.

Instead, the negative pictures will make people feel afraid, possibly making them lose self-control and actually smoke more.

Taken from: Rogers, R. W. & Prentice-Dunn, S. (1997). Protection Motivation Theory. In D. S. Gochman (Ed.), Handbook of Health Behavior Research I: Personal and Social Determinants (Vol. 1, pp. 113-132). New York: Plenum.

-----

"In order to be seen as more attractive, get an ugly friend."

Answer: FALSE

Actually no! The best thing is to hang around with more attractive people.

The so-called radiation effect means that when a person of average attractiveness is simultaneously seen with a very attractive person, observers will rate the average attractive woman as more attractive than when she is evaluated alone.

Taken from: Geiselman, R. E., Haight, N. A. & Kimata, L. G. (1984). Context effect in the perceived attractiveness of faces. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 20, 409-424.

Pubbing at Suzhou is.. fun.