Death vs Meg Ryan

From the AP:

"Researchers asked 45 women to write about death or a control topic of dental pain and then indicate their preference among a variety of sunscreens with varying levels of sun protection factor (SPF)... Researchers found that when women were consciously thinking about death, they were much more likely to report a preference for sunscreens with a higher SPF...When they were distracted and thoughts were driven away from the concept of death, they were more interested in the lower SPF sunscreens.".

Let me start by saying that this may be the most worthless study ever done. Who cares about the results? What exactly is any organization going to do with this information? Can you imagine the advertising department at some skin-care company being given this task: "Women who are forced to write an essay about Death are more likely to choose a higher SPF. Work up a print campaign around that and get back to me tomorrow."

And how about the poor participants, who probably thought they were going to be involved in some sort of Coke vs Pepsi thing?

"Good morning ladies. In a few moments you will be asked to evaluate a variety of products. But first we would like you each to write a 500 word essay. The topic is Death. Are there any questions? Yes? You in the fuchsia."

"Ummm, I hate to be a bother, but I really don't want to write an essay about Death."

"I completely understand. Those of you who do not wish to write about Death may write about Dental Pain instead. Please begin, you have 30 minutes."

Boy, those gals certainly earned their 50 bucks, or whatever they got paid. Once I did a survey and got a coupon. I hope they got more than a coupon. It would be really horrible to have to go home with that. "What did I do with my day? Well, I wrote a 500 word essay on Dental Pain. Yeah. Dental Pain. But I got this great coupon for a free Starbucks latte."

I do have to wonder, however, if this is some new trend in doing product evaluations. What if you were to use the same process to evaluate hair-care products, or orange juice? Would people be more or less likely to want pulp-free orange juice while thinking about Death? Does writing about Dental Pain tip the scales in favor of mousse?

And the possibilities for rating entertainment are endless. We could have people write about Dental Pain, and then watch a movie. Does having your mind fixated on Dental Pain affect your response to a formulaic romantic comedy starring perky Meg Ryan? Or participants could be asked if they found it more enjoyable to spend 30 minutes writing about death, or 90 minutes watching Meg Ryan. Or how about a variation where people are asked to view a Meg Ryan movie then asked to write an essay on any topic of their choice? How many will spontaneously choose Death as their topic? We could also go back to our Coke vs Pepsi concept, where volunteers undergo a painful dental procedure, then watch a Meg Ryan movie, then choose which they prefer.

As I said, the possibilities are endless.

Greg