3-6-9 "Threatened-Me" Rule: Testing a New Method to Reduce Unrealistic Comparative Optimism

Unrealistic comparative optimism (UO) bias, which is a specific and biased form of optimism, poses major risks for the individual, particularly for one's health. From this perspective, there is a pressing need for methods reducing this bias and the present paper joins this effort. In two on-line mixed-design experiments (N = 1,330), the second of which was preregistered, we tested whether UO - regarding the probability of COVID-19 infection-can be eradicated or at least reduced via generation of optimistic/pessimistic scenarios in comparison to others. Generating pessimistic scenarios consistently fully eradicated the UO bias. Generating optimistic scenarios did not change UO.