The so-called optimism bias can get in the way of a healthy lifestyle.
Yes, media messages about food are is often confusing and inconsistent, but many Americans know what is considered a healthy diet. I mean, does anyone really think that drinking brown water is good for them? The point is that they do not apply their knowledge.
Why do people have such a hard time? changeable their eating behavior? While confusion and confusion may play a part, motivation to change is probably more important. Of course, we live in a world where pushes we eat whatever we want, regardless of the long-term consequences. “One of the main challenges is getting people to change their behavior is the need to make them recognize the need for change.”
For example, if you ask no matter how much meat people eat—or how much fatty foods, eggs, sweets, alcohol, or oil—they claim to eat less than the average person. So if people think they are at less risk than others, they may reject advice to eat healthier and think they are already eating healthier. Is it possible that they really are? No, people has been evaluated their eating behavior is healthier on average, even when their actual eating habits were terrible. For this reason, perhaps health promotion campaigns needed that people should explain how badly they eat. But when this is done, something strange happens. When people called faced with the reality of what the average person actually eats, they change their answer to make themselves appear as if they are healthier than average.
When comparing positive people on risky behavior threatenedthey tend to not only overestimate how often they engage in these behaviors—”oh, I don’t eat that much meat”—but also downplay the importance of the behaviors. “Meat isn’t that bad for you anyway.” This is the “personal myth” of smokers tell me themselves Research shows that smokers have a strong tendency to underestimate the risks associated with smoking, supporting a number of illusions and false beliefs to support their choice to keep smoking.
Why so many people to continue that despite the harm of tobacco to their health clearly? For many of the same reasons, people continue to eat unhealthy foods. First, they to convince they say they are less at risk than others who engage in the same behavior. In addition to this optimism bias, smokers also underestimate how much smoking increases their risk of lung cancer, thinking that smokers only have five times the risk of lung cancer a day, when their actual risk is 20 times higher, as you can see below and at 3:10 in my video. Why don’t people eat healthier?.
Also, a lot of smoking believe me Lung cancer is mainly determined by genetics.
There are many dangers with the food we eat sharing it’s the same “benign bias” as heart attack and heart disease (our number one killer), obesity, diabetes, and everything else. People often can to find very good reasons for believing that their own danger is less than that of others. So perhaps public health advocates need to take a closer look at where this unrealistic optimism comes from and find ways to help people understand their own vulnerabilities. All kinds of work is that is done to reduce or eliminate this bias, “but we need to reduce the possibility that optimistic bias can lead to a decrease in self-esteem and psychological well-being” if people realize how much danger they really face and how much they blame themselves.
It reminds me that medical professionals have to walk a tightrope. to say people how much power we all have to get cancer. There is one article that is often referenced calculated that we can prevent about 90% of human cancers. Although the reference to “current trends” refers to the 1960s when this article was published, it is still is concerned more than half a century has passed today. “Genetic factors are not the main causes of chronic diseases.” Using identical twins to understand how much disease risk is actually genetic, researchers found that of the 28 chronic diseases, cancer has the least genetic component—only about 10% is attributable to bad genes. What runs in families is bad habits.
But when you tell me All the good news about how much power we have in preventing cancer is about people who already have it? When people are diagnosed with cancer, they often ask, “Why me? Did I do something wrong? Is it my fault?” So you can imagine how devastating the message “well, yeah, sort of” can be to patients or survivors. In other words, a message aimed at empowering people and promoting prevention can make cancer victims feel guilty.
But no matter how hard it is, the truth is still the truth. So doctors should try to guide patients to “move from guilt to a ‘responsibility’ approach.” They have personal control; can choose from now. Doctors need to give them a sense of agency in their own lives. It is best to try to take these steps before you get cancer.
Dr.’s comment
For more information on personal liability, see Why you should care about food and Personal responsibility for your health.
