How Risk Signaling Influences Binge Drinking Impression Formation: An Evolutionary Experimental Approach

Jordane Boudesseul, Oulmann Zerhouni and Laurent Bègue
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Jordane Boudesseul: Instituto de Investigación Científica, Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Lima, Av. Javier Prado Este 4600, Lima 33, Peru
Oulmann Zerhouni: Laboratoire Parisien de Psychologie Sociale, University Paris Nanterre, 92000 Nanterre, France
Laurent Bègue: Laboratoire Inter-Universitaire de Psychologie, University Grenoble Alpes, 38400 Saint-Martin-d’Hères, France

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-9

Abstract: Background . Evolutionary theory-driven alcohol prevention programs for adolescents are lacking. This study introduced a binge drinking impression formation paradigm to test whether emphasizing sexual dysfunction induced by alcohol abuse lowers positive attitudes and expectancies related to binge drinking when compared with cognitive or long-term health consequences. Method . In a between-subjects experiment, 269 French high school students (age, M = 15.94, SD = 0.93, 63.20% women) watched professional-quality videos emphasizing sexual impotence ( n = 60), cognitive impairment ( n = 72), or long-term effects (cancer, cardiovascular disease, n = 68) induced by alcohol and then had to evaluate a drinking scene. We predicted that the video on impotence would be the most impactful when compared with the other videos. Results . Results showed that women evaluated the target as less attractive after viewing the cognitive video compared with the video on impotence. Men were more willing to play sports against the target after viewing the cognitive video, compared with the video on impotence. Conclusions . These results showed that evolutionary meaning might shape impressions formed by participants depending on the context. This study calls for further replications using the same design and materials.

Keywords: binge drinking; high school students; sexual selection theory; impression formation; sex differences (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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