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HEALTH BEHAVIOUR

More risks can feel less risky

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In the United States, direct-to-consumer advertisements for medications must disclose each specific side-effect risk. A new study demonstrates a counterintuitive dilution effect: people perceive drug descriptions that include both serious and trivial side effects as less risky than descriptions that only list serious side effects.

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References

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Correspondence to Brian J. Zikmund-Fisher.

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Zikmund-Fisher, B.J. More risks can feel less risky. Nat Hum Behav 1, 782–783 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-017-0228-9

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