Study: Action words equal diverse conduct

CHAMPAIGN, Ill., Sept. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. psychologists say they've determined the use of action-oriented words often leads to a wide range of active behaviors.

"Our research highlights how the pressures of society to be active may produce fairly unregulated behavior," said University of Illinois psychology Professor Dolores Albarracin, who led the study.

In a series of experiments, participants were primed with words suggesting action, such as "go" and "motivation," or inaction words such as "rest" and "stop." After being presented with the primes, participants were asked to perform a task, and researchers measured the intensity of the behavior.

Albarracin said the results showed participants primed with an action word were more likely to choose active tasks. However, researchers also found the same prime triggered a diverse array of tasks that are normally not seen together, such as eating, learning and doodling.

"What you actually end up promoting is a very general message to be active," Albarracin said. "You can be active by exercising or learning, but you can also be active by driving fast or taking drugs. That is the danger of a global message to be active."

The study is reported in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.