Who likely experiences reactance to quitting messages: How individual cultural identification moderates the effect of controlling language on psychological reactance

Abstract

ObjectivePsychological reactance can undermine the persuasiveness of smoking campaigns, but this effect may vary as a function of culture. Previous research has been conducted at the national level or examined the influence of one cultural variable. This study investigated whether the boomerang effect of controlling language varied across countries and whether individualism and power distance moderated the relationship between controlling language and psychological reactance. MethodsA total of 400 Chinese and 441 American smokers were randomly assigned to either high or low controlling language. ResultsHigh controlling language elicited psychological reactance, which caused negative attitudes and eventually reduced intentions to quit smoking in both countries. Moreover, the effect of controlling language on reactance was stronger among low power distance Americans, Chinese of high individualism and high power distance as well as of low individualism and low power distance. ConclusionThe boomerang effect of controlling language held across cultures. Power distance moderated the relationship between controlling language and psychological reactance as well as the moderation effect of individualism on this relationship. Practice implicationsPractitioners should be cautious to evoke reactance especially when targeting at the three groups mentioned above.