Unlocking the power of guilt and shame: Tailoring health messages for better choices

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We wanted to understand how feelings of guilt and shame can impact the way people respond to health messages, depending on their views of themselves. Even though guilt and shame are usually seen as negative feelings, we thought that guilt might be more effective for people who see themselves as independent, while shame might work better for those who see themselves as connected to others. After conducting four studies, we found that our idea was correct. Guilt appeals, which make you feel bad about your actions, were better at motivating people with an independent mindset to do things like eat healthy, drink responsibly, quit smoking, and stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, shame appeals, which make you feel bad about who you are, were more persuasive for people with an interdependent mindset. We also discovered that how people see a challenge or threat plays a role in how guilt or shame affects them. For those with an independent mindset, feeling challenged was a key factor, while for those with an interdependent mindset, feeling threatened was more important. This research has important implications for how emotions are used in health messages. It gives marketers, government officials, and policymakers a better understanding of how to convince individuals to make choices that are good for both themselves and society.Chan, E. Y., & Septianto, F. (2024). Self-construals and health communications: The persuasive roles of guilt and shame (external link, opens in new window) . Journal of Business Research, 170, 114357.