APS
2026 APS Annual Convention · 2026
Health Behaviors Are Moralized By Perceived Harm
- Samuel Pratt
UCLA Psychology Department - Daniel Rosenfeld
University of California, Los Angeles - Amelia Goranson
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - A. Janet Tomiyama
University of California, Los Angeles - Paschal Sheeran
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - Kurt Gray
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Abstract
We tested whether perceived harm can moralize an otherwise neutral health behavior. Participants (N = 282) moralized the use of sleep aids significantly more when they were described as causing or preventing harm, supporting the theory of dyadic morality and illustrating how health behaviors become seen as moral issues.
