Framing health messages systematically in terms of either gains or losses influences the

behaviors that people adopt. Rothman and Salovey proposed that the relative influence of gain-
and loss-framed messages is contingent on people’s perception of the risk or uncertainty
associated with adopting the recommended behavior. Specifically, loss-framed messages are
more effective when promoting illness-detecting (screening) behaviors, but gain-framed
messages are more effective when promoting health-affirming (prevention) behaviors. Two
experiments provide a direct test of this conceptual framework. In Experiment 1, participants’
willingness to act after reading about a new disease was a function of how the information was
framed and the type of behavior promoted. Experiment 2 replicated and extended these
findings with a real health concern—gum disease. Gain-framed pamphlets heightened interest
in a plaque-fighting mouth rinse, whereas loss-framed pamphlets heightened interest in a
plaque-detecting disclosing rinse. Research on message framing provides a theoretically based
guide for the development of effective health messages.