Alcohol makes others dislike you: reducing the positivity of teens’ beliefs and attitudes toward alcohol use

This study tests the effects of the portrayal of negative consequences of alcohol use on beliefs and attitudes toward alcohol consumption. In a between-subjects experiment (N = 108), participants were randomly assigned to watch one of three conditions. One group of participants watched a version of an edited episode of the reality program Jersey Shore in which alcohol use had negative consequences, another group watched a version of the episode in which alcohol use had more positive consequences, and a control group was not exposed to any program. Results showed that participants who saw the version with negative consequences had more negative beliefs about alcohol and more negative attitudes toward beer than participants who saw the more positive consequences and participants in the control condition. This indicates that the portrayal of negative consequences can have positive outcomes for viewers’ health beliefs and attitudes, reducing their positivity toward alcohol use.