Research on exemplification suggests that celebrity health exemplars can exert a greater influence on public risk perceptions than exemplars featuring noncelebrities. In the aftermath of actor Tom Hanks’s announcement that he tested positive for COVID-19, an online experiment compared the effects of his exemplar to an identical noncelebrity exemplar. Hanks’s disclosure increased perceptions of susceptibility to the virus. The celebrity exemplar also increased anxiety, which increased intentions to engage in preventive behavior. These findings suggest that the mere presence of celebrity might function as a cognitive and affective heuristic that guides risk-related assessment and decision making.

中文翻译：

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星星——他们和我们一样生病了！名人榜样对 COVID-19 相关风险认知、情绪和预防行为意图的影响

对例证的研究表明，名人健康榜样比以非名人为特色的榜样可以对公众风险认知产生更大的影响。在演员汤姆汉克斯宣布他的 COVID-19 检测呈阳性之后，一项在线实验将他的榜样与同一非名人榜样的影响进行了比较。汉克斯的披露增加了人们对病毒易感性的认识。名人榜样也增加了焦虑，从而增加了从事预防行为的意图。这些发现表明，仅仅名人的出现就可能起到认知和情感启发的作用，指导风险相关的评估和决策。