3–6-9 “Threatened-Me” Rule: Testing a New Method to Reduce Unrealistic Comparative Optimism
Kulesza W. Dolinski D. Muniak P. Izydorczak K. Kozłowska P. Mazurkiewicz W. Rizulla A.
February 2024Springer
Current Psychology
2024#43Issue 87284 - 7296 pp.
Unrealistic comparative optimism (UO) bias, which is a specific and biased form of optimism, poses major risks for the individual, particularly for one’s health. From this perspective, there is a pressing need for methods reducing this bias and the present paper joins this effort. In two on-line mixed-design experiments (N = 1,330), the second of which was preregistered, we tested whether UO – regarding the probability of COVID-19 infection—can be eradicated or at least reduced via generation of optimistic/pessimistic scenarios in comparison to others. Generating pessimistic scenarios consistently fully eradicated the UO bias. Generating optimistic scenarios did not change UO.
Coronavirus , COVID-19 , Eradication/reduction of unrealistic optimism , Unrealistic comparative optimism
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
Faculty of Psychology in Warsaw, Centre for Research On Social Relations, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Chodakowska 19/31, Warsaw, 03-815, Poland
Faculty of Psychology in Wroclaw, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Aleksandra Ostrowskiego 30B, Wrocław, 53-238, Poland
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Chodakowska 19/31, Warsaw, 03-815, Poland
Department of General and Applied Psychology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Faculty of Psychology in Warsaw
Faculty of Psychology in Wroclaw
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities
Department of General and Applied Psychology
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026