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Many health problems are due to maladaptive personal behaviors.
From an evolutionary psychology perspective they can classified as overconsumption of evolutionary novel substances that are harmful but strongly activates evolutionarily old reward systems ( drugs, tobacco, alcohol, and refined salt, fat, and carbohydrates ); overconsumption of evolutionary novel technologies with harmful side effects such as modern transportation causing reduced physical activity ; and underconsumption of evolutionary novel technologies that are beneficial but have no intrinsic motivation ( condoms, contraception, soap, bednets, toilets, and gas stoves instead of wood burning ).
Research have found that behavior is more effectively changed by taking evolutionary motivations into consideration instead of only presenting information about health effects.
Thus, increased use of soap and handwashing in order to prevent diarrhea is much more effectively promoted if associating lack of use with the emotion of disgust.
Disgust is an evolutionary old system for avoiding contact with substances spreading infectious diseases and other harmful behavior.
Examples include showing films of how disgusting fecal matter contaminates food which are then eaten or using messages such as " Soap it off or eat it later ".
The marketing industry has long known the importance of associating products with high status and attractiveness to others.
Conversely, it has been argued that emphasizing the harmful and undesirable effects of tobacco smoking on other persons and imposing smoking bans in public places have been particularly effective in reducing tobacco smoking.

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