Biased appraisal of high blood pressure.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of individuals' beliefs concerning their own blood pressure level on their appraisals of the seriousness of high blood pressure. In Experiment 1, 40 college students had their blood pressure measured and were randomly assigned to receive either high or normal blood pressure feedback. Afterward, they were asked to rate the seriousness of high blood pressure. Subjects who were given high blood pressure feedback rated the disorder as a less serious threat to health than did those subjects who received normal feedback. The results were replicated in Experiment 2 among a second sample of college students. Experiment 2 also revealed that minimization is associated with the belief that hypertension is an acute or cyclical condition. These experimental findings confirm clinical evidence that minimization is a common initial reaction to threatening medical information.