It is commonly assumed that sex and violence sell. However, we predicted that sex and violence would have the opposite effect. We based our predictions on the evolution and emotional arousal theoretical framework, which states that people are evolutionarily predisposed to attend to emotionally arousing cues such as sex and violence. Thus, sexual and violent cues demand more cognitive resources than nonsexual and nonviolent cues. Using this framework, we meta-analyzed the effects of sexual media, violent media, sexual ads, and violent ads on the advertising outcomes of brand memory, brand attitudes, and buying intentions. The meta-analysis included 53 experiments involving 8,489 participants. Analyses found that brands advertised in violent media content were remembered less often, evaluated less favorably, and less likely to be purchased than brands advertised in nonviolent, nonsexual media. Brands advertised using sexual ads were evaluated less favorably than brands advertised using nonviolent, nonsexual ads. There were no significant effects of sexual media on memory or buying intentions. There were no significant effects of sexual or violent ads on memory or buying intentions. As intensity of sexual ad content increased, memory, attitudes, and buying intentions decreased. When media content and ad content were congruent (e.g., violent ad in a violent program), memory improved and buying intentions increased. Violence and sex never helped and often hurt ad effectiveness. These results support the evolution and emotional arousal framework. Thus, advertisers should consider the effects of media content, ad content, content intensity, and congruity to design and place more effective ads.

No abstract

Recent technological advancements make 3D gaming more viable for consumers. Scholars question whether immersive qualities of 3D gaming influence violent gameplay outcomes, such as anger. Using the General Aggression Model as a framework, the present study tests whether presence mediates the relationship between 3D violent video games and anger. Participants (N = 194) played Grand Theft Auto IV either violently (i.e., killing as many bystanders as possible) or nonviolently (i.e., bowling) on a 2D monitor, 2D projector, or 3D projector, reported their feelings of presence, and reported their mood, including how angry they felt. Participants who played violently reported greater anger than participants who played nonviolently. Participants who played in 3D reported greater presence than participants who played in 2D. There was a positive relationship between 3D gameplay and anger, but only for participants who played the game violently. Presence mediated the relationship between 3D gameplay and anger, but only for participants who played the game violently. These results suggest that presence amplifies the effects of violent video gameplay, such that the more immersive the gameplay technology, the more present players feel, and in turn the more angry players feel after playing a violent video game.

Fear of the unnatural plays an important role when evaluating a powerful technology such as genetic engineering. Several factors contribute to fear of the unnatural, including heuristics and predispositions. This chapter examines the availability heuristic, affect heuristic, and naturalistic fallacy. It also discusses predispositions such as environmentalism, disgust sensitivity, morality, and anxiety and how fear of the unnatural—if inconsistent with the best available scientific evidence—is a problematic basis for public debate regarding genetic modification. Drawing on several case studies in which fear of the unnatural was overcome and public debate shifted from instinctive fear to substantive deliberation about responsible innovation, the chapter suggests that strategies to overcome fear of the unnatural can foster social accountability.