Framing Messages

The article by Tversky & Kahneman (1981) was so confusing! As I was reading it, I just kept thinking about the TV show called "Numb3rs" because there was so much math concepts and terminology involved their explanations. Luckily, the Rothman (1999) article was much easier to follow and understand.

I agree with Janice that for our group's nutritional message, gain-framed may best. Focusing on the benefits of a healthy diet (i.e. increasing fruits and veggies) and how they can prevent the negative health consequences will be key. Hmm... what could our selling point be? Avoiding the freshman 15?

In class as we were discussing the use of humor in health messages, I had a really hard time trying to recall a particular ad that used that approach. But then I remembered a video clip we watched in class a couple of weeks ago. It was the one about the kid throwing a tantrum in the grocery store. The first time I watched it I never predicted it would be about a commercial about condoms. But at the end of the clip, I chuckled and laughed at the surprise ending. I'm sure not everyone was amused by the ad but I thought it was a good example of how humor can be incorporated into a message, even it it's only for a few seconds.