Emotions guides many aspects of our everyday decisions, but nowhere are emotions more potent, and their
implications more important, than in medical decisions. In the present research, a nationally representative
group of 1600 American adults age 40?70 were asked if they would want to receive a screening test for breast
(women) or prostate (men) cancer that unambiguously did not save or extend life and could only cause harm.
Results showed that approximately half of participants wanted such a test, and nearly 1?in?5 participants both
wanted the test and believed that the test had no benefits. A number of explanations for these preferences
were tested, and the two primary predictors of decisions were (1) belief that the test provided a benefit and
(2) anxiety about cancer. Feelings about cancer can potentially cause a person to seek a useless screening test
even when their beliefs indicate that doing so is irrational.
