PSYC 3103 Lecture Notes - Lecture 35: Genuine Risk, Condom, The Emotions
Document Summary
Manipulating emotions is an indirect but highly effective means to manipulate decisions. Cigarette advertising often appeals to reptilian emotions to get kids. Risky behaviors are promoted by effective emotional appeals. As it is, risky behaviors such as using alcohol and tobacco are supported by highly effective emotional advertisements. So-called "warning labels" are pallid and cold: mere instructions, not effective warnings. As a result, users are lulled into a comfortable and mindless acceptance and even embracing of risk. Example: anti-smoking ads created by tobacco companies directed at teens were found to actually increase teen smoking. The rational don"t smoke message was contradicted by an underlying only cool independent kids smoke message. A central question: the role that emotions should play in judging what is a morally acceptable technological risk. Emotions are in fact exploited in the marketing of risk. Emotional appeals are used in advertising and propaganda supporting the mindless acceptance of risk.
