The higher they go the harder they could fall: The impact of risk-glorifying commercials on risk behavior

by David F. Urschler, Hanna Heinrich, Stefanie Hechler, Peter Fischer, Thomas Kessler

Previous research on risk-glorifying media has provided encompassing evidence for a positive connection between risk-glorifying contents and (a) risk-positive emotions, (b) risk-positive cognitions and attitudes, and (c) risk-positive behavioral inclinations. Nevertheless, little evidence shows whether risk-glorifying content increases actual risk behavior. We conducted three experimental studies to assess whether risk-glorifying commercials increase risk behavior. In all studies, participants were randomly assigned to a risk-glorifying or a neutral commercial. Additionally, in Study 2 participants were randomly assigned to an arousal or a non-arousal condition to test the mediating effect of arousal. In Study 3, we tested the mediating effect of the accessibility to risk-positive cognitions. We measured participants’ risk behavior via the risk assessment ramp (RAR). Our results revealed that participants who watched the risk-glorifying commercial walked faster to the jumping-off point (Studies 1, 2, & 3) and would have jumped from a higher level (Studies 2 & 3), thus, indicating the exposure to risk-glorifying media content increases people’s risk behavior. Neither arousal nor the accessibility to risk-positive cognitions mediated the effect of risk-glorifying media content. Beyond our findings, we offer a new tool to assess risk behavior that is effective and easy to apply.