Contextual effects on the perceived health benefits of exercise: The exercise rank hypothesis

Citation

Maltby J, Wood AM, Vlaev I, Taylor MJ & Brown GDA (2012) Contextual effects on the perceived health benefits of exercise: The exercise rank hypothesis. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 34 (6), pp. 828-841. http://journals.humankinetics.com/jsep-back-issues/jsep-volume-34-issue-6-december/contextual-effects-on-the-perceived-health-benefits-of-exercise-the-exercise-rank-hypothesis; https://doi.org/10.1123/jsep.34.6.828

Abstract
Many accounts of social influences on exercise participation describe how people compare their behaviors to those of others. We develop and test a novel hypothesis, the exercise rank hypothesis, of how this comparison can occur. The exercise rank hypothesis, derived from evolutionary theory and the decision by sampling model of judgment, suggests that individuals' perceptions of the health benefits of exercise are influenced by how individuals believe the amount of exercise ranks in comparison with other people's amounts of exercise. Study 1 demonstrated that individuals' perceptions of the health benefits of their own current exercise amounts were as predicted by the exercise rank hypothesis. Study 2 demonstrated that the perceptions of the health benefits of an amount of exercise can be manipulated by experimentally changing the ranked position of the amount within a comparison context. The discussion focuses on how social norm-based interventions could benefit from using rank information.

Keywords
social; norm; influence; evolutionary; judgment; decision making; Physical education and training Social aspects; Decision making

Journal
Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology: Volume 34, Issue 6