Publications by authors named "J B Berkessel"

Obesity has adverse consequences for those affected. We tested whether the association between obesity and its adverse consequences is reduced in regions in which obesity is prevalent and whether lower weight bias in high-obese regions can account for this reduction. Studies 1 and 2 used data from the United States ( = 2,846,132 adults across 2,546 counties) and United Kingdom ( = 180,615 adults across 380 districts) that assessed obesity's adverse consequences in diverse domains: close relationships, economic outcomes, and health.

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Article Synopsis
  • The paper evaluated 747 research articles on 19 policy recommendations from behavioral science aimed at reducing the impacts of COVID-19.
  • Both independent review teams found evidence supporting 18 out of the 19 claims, with 89% of the claims backed by robust data.
  • Key findings highlighted that cultural factors, misinformation, and trusted leadership significantly influenced policy effectiveness, while targeted messaging showed mixed outcomes.
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Recent studies demonstrate that Republicans live longer than Democrats. We examined whether these longevity benefits are universal or culturally varying. Following a person-culture match perspective, we hypothesized that Republicans' longevity benefits occur in Republican, but not in Democratic, states.

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments.

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Scholars suggest that marginalized people in non-urban areas experience higher distress levels and fewer psychosocial resources than in urban areas. Researchers have yet to test whether precise proximity to urban centers is associated with mental health for marginalized populations. We recruited 1733 people who reported living in 45 different countries.

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