Biased health perceptions and risky health behaviors: Theory and evidence

Arbeitspapier

This paper investigates the role of biased health perceptions as driving forces of risky health behavior. We define absolute and relative health perception biases, illustrate their measurement in surveys and provide evidence on their relevance. Next, we decompose the theoretical effect into its extensive and intensive margin: When the extensive margin dominates, people (wrongly) believe they are healthy enough to "afford" unhealthy behavior. Finally, using three population surveys, we provide robust empirical evidence that respondents who overestimate their health are less likely to exercise and sleep enough, but more likely to eat unhealthily and drink alcohol daily.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Quaderni - Working Paper DSE ; No. 1146

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Field Experiments ; Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness ; Health Behavior
• Subject: health bias ; health perceptions ; subjective beliefs ; overconfidence ; underconfidence ; overoptimism ; risky behavior ; smoking ; obesity ; exercising ; SF12 ; SAH ; BASE-II

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Arni, Patrick ; Dragone, Davide ; Götte, Lorenz ; Ziebarth, Nicolas R.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Alma Mater Studiorum - Università di Bologna, Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche (DSE)
• (where): Bologna
• (when): 2020

Further information

• DOI: doi:10.6092/unibo/amsacta/6374
• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/245888
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET