What are Information about emotional consequences?
This technique provides information about the emotional effects of performing or not performing a target behavior, going beyond health or practical consequences to address how the behavior will make the person feel.
How it works
Emotional consequence information works because decisions are heavily influenced by anticipated emotions, often more than by rational analysis. Telling someone that exercise reduces anxiety and improves mood can be more motivating than telling them it reduces heart disease risk, because the emotional benefit is immediate and personally experienced.
Applied example
A campaign telling young adults that volunteering ‘makes people feel more connected, purposeful, and happy’ motivates more signups than one describing community impact statistics, because the emotional consequences are personally relevant and immediately attainable.
Why it matters
Information about emotional consequences taps into the affective forecasting system that strongly influences behavior, providing motivational leverage that purely factual information misses.
