Cures That (Make You) Work How a Treatment's Social Role Affects Health-Related Behavioral Intentions

Successful treatment not only depends on adhering to taking medication and attending therapy but also on behavioral changes. In two experiments (total N = 256), we investigated the hypothesis that the perceived social role of a treatment as partner (co-producer of a health-benefits) or servant (sole provider of health benefits) could promote or prevent intentions to engage in health-related behaviors. Specifically, we used headache treatment as an everyday example and found that participants were more inclined to engage in headache-reducing behaviors when painkillers were described as partners as compared to servants. Implications of these findings for the importance of anthropomorphic social perception in the clinical application are discussed.