Mimicry boosts social bias: unrealistic optimism in a health prevention case
Kulesza W. Dolinski D. Muniak P. Rizulla A.
2023Taylor and Francis Ltd.
Social Influence
2023#18Issue 1
Unrealistic optimism bias appears when a person perceives oneself–in comparison to peers–as less at risk from threats. This bias has been widely reported and the consequences are clear: it puts one’s health in danger. The existing body of literature proposes egocentrism as a mechanism leading to a reduction in this bias. The present paper tests a novel mechanism orienting a person toward others–thus linked with egocentrism–i.e., mimicry. Results showed directly opposing effects: mimicry induced a stronger tendency to perceive oneself as less threatened. This result is not only surprising but especially alarming since mimicry may be used in patient-doctor dialogue which may backfire, leading to resistance to medical recommendations provided by the doctor.
coronavirus , COVID-19 , Mimicry , unrealistic optimism
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Centre for Research on Social Relations, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Psychology in Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Faculty of Psychology in Wroclaw, Warsaw, Poland
Department of General and Applied Psychology, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Centre for Research on Social Relations
SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities
Department of General and Applied Psychology
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