The Functions of Affect in Health Communications and in the Construction of Health Preferences

2006/08/01 by Ellen Peters, Isaac Lipkus, Isaac M. Lipkus +1 · 247 citations
Decision Sciences · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Affect (linguistics) #Behavioral Health and Interventions #Climate Change Communication and Perception #Cognition #Cognitive psychology #Communication #Currency #Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics #Economics #Health communication #Information processing #Psychiatry #Psychology #Social psychology

paper · doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.2006.00287.x

published in Journal of Communication 56(suppl_1), S140-S162 (Oxford University Press)

openalex publication_date 2006/08/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/25

Abstract

We examine potential roles of 4 functions of affect in health communication and the construction of health preferences. The roles of these 4 functions (affect as information, as a spotlight, as a motivator, and as common currency) are illustrated in the area of cancer screening and treatment decision making. We demonstrate that experienced affect influences information processes, judgments, and decisions. We relate the functions to a self-regulation approach and examine factors that may influence the weight of cognitive versus affective processing of information. Affect’s role in health communication is likely to be nuanced, and it deserves careful empirical study of its effects on patients’ well-being.

Citations

• A perspective on judgment and choice: Mapping bounded rationality.
• Progress on a cognitive-motivational-relational theory of emotion.

Cited by

• AI summaries in online search influence users' attitudes
• Affect and decision making: a “hot” topic
• Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response
• Breast cancer anxiety's associations with responses to a chemoprevention decision aid. [europepmc]
• Values and options in cancer care (VOICE): study design and rationale for a patient-centered communication and decision-making intervention for physicians, patients with advanced cancer, and their caregivers. [europepmc]
• Numeracy and literacy independently predict patients' ability to identify out-of-range test results. [europepmc]
• Decision making and cancer. [europepmc]
• Adolescents' and adults' perceptions of 'natural', 'organic' and 'additive-free' cigarettes, and the required disclaimers. [europepmc]
• Cognitive and Affective Representations of Active Surveillance as a Treatment Option for Low-Risk Prostate Cancer. [europepmc]
• Self-Regulation Principles Underlying Risk Perception and Decision Making within the Context of Genomic Testing. [europepmc]
• Effects of Varying Color, Imagery, and Text of Cigarette Package Warning Labels among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Middle School Youth and Adult Smokers. [europepmc]
• Cigarette pack messages about toxic chemicals: a randomised clinical trial. [europepmc]
• The Effect of Graphic Warnings on Sugary-Drink Purchasing. [europepmc]
• Testing competing explanations for graphic warning label effects among adult smokers and non-smoking youth. [europepmc]
• The psychometric properties of the Italian adaptation of the Health Orientation Scale (HOS). [europepmc]
• Ethical Considerations for Food and Beverage Warnings. [europepmc]
• Using Insights from Behavioral Economics to Mitigate the Spread of COVID-19. [europepmc]
• Numeracy and memory for risk probabilities and risk outcomes depicted on cigarette warning labels. [europepmc]
• Pictorial Cigarette Pack Warnings Increase Some Risk Appraisals But Not Risk Beliefs: A Meta-Analysis. [europepmc]
• A Web Application About Herd Immunity Using Personalized Avatars: Development Study. [europepmc]
• Risk Perception and Protective Behaviors During the Rise of the COVID-19 Outbreak in Italy. [europepmc]
• The Role of Emotional Competences in Parents' Vaccine Hesitancy. [europepmc]
• Moving beyond categorization to understand affective influences on real world health decisions. [europepmc]
• Incorporating emotions into clinical decision-making solutions. [europepmc]
• Preferences for More or Less Health Care and Association With Health Literacy of Men Eligible for Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening in Australia. [europepmc]
• Social Distancing and Adolescent Psychological Well-Being: The Role of Practical Knowledge and Exercise. [europepmc]
• Safety Compliance in a Sample of Italian Mechanical Companies: The Role of Knowledge and Safety Climate. [europepmc]
• Associations between Public Fear of COVID-19 and Number of COVID-19 Vaccinations: A County-Level Longitudinal Analysis. [europepmc]

Related

• Affect and decision making: a “hot” topic
• Advancing Tailored Health Communication: A Persuasion and Message Effects Perspective
• The Persuasive Influence of Emotion in Cancer Prevention and Detection Messages
• Emotional Flow in Persuasive Health Messages
• An Influence of Positive Affect on Decision Making in Complex Situations: Theoretical Issues With Practical Implications