Abstract
BackgroundSexually transmitted infection (STI) rates are on the rise among adolescents and young adults in the United States. With the popularity of online dating, adolescents and young adults must increasingly rely on limited cues to make initial judgments about potential sexual partners, including judgments about STI risk.ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess whether in the context of online dating, an attractiveness heuristic would be used for STI risk assessment. We hypothesized that consistent with research on halo effects, decision makers would judge more attractive people to be less likely to have STIs.MethodsIn a survey experiment, we asked participants to determine which individual in each of 20 sets of paired photographs was enrolled in a personals website for people with publicly disclosed STIs.ResultsDespite financial incentives for accuracy and high levels of self-confidence in their judgments, participants performed no better than chance at identifying individuals with self-reported STIs. Contrary to our hypothesis, however, more attractive people were judged as being more likely to have an STI. This relationship appears to be mediated by inferences regarding the target individual’s sexual behavior, with more attractive individuals considered to have more partners.ConclusionsOn showing adolescents and young adults photographs offering no diagnostic information about STIs, they appeared to use attractiveness as a cue for sexual risk, which was mediated by the belief that attractive individuals have more sexual opportunities. Health care providers may wish to address this heuristic process among their adolescent patients in discussions about sexual health.
Highlights
In the United States, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are increasingly among the most commonly reported diseases, with the total cases of Sexually transmitted infection (STI) reaching a historical high in 2017 [1,2].Young adults and adolescents are at particular risk [2]
On showing adolescents and young adults photographs offering no diagnostic information about STIs, they appeared to use attractiveness as a cue for sexual risk, which was mediated by the belief that attractive individuals have more sexual opportunities
Among a sample of young adults using dating apps, those who transitioned from a profile view to having an in-person date had higher self-reported rates of risky sexual behavior than those who did not transition to face-to-face interactions [6]
Summary
In the United States, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are increasingly among the most commonly reported diseases, with the total cases of STIs reaching a historical high in 2017 [1,2].Young adults and adolescents are at particular risk [2]. In the United States, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are increasingly among the most commonly reported diseases, with the total cases of STIs reaching a historical high in 2017 [1,2]. Among a sample of young adults using dating apps, those who transitioned from a profile view to having an in-person date had higher self-reported rates of risky sexual behavior than those who did not transition to face-to-face interactions [6]. Transmitted infection (STI) rates are on the rise among adolescents and young adults in the United States. With the popularity of online dating, adolescents and young adults must increasingly rely on limited cues to make initial judgments about potential sexual partners, including judgments about STI risk
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