The effects of different narrative structures in public service announcements on transportation and counterarguing

Narratives are an effective way of presenting persuasive health communication because audience members can be transported into the story plot, which is shown to reduce various types of resistance. Using a laboratory experiment (N = 144), this study examined the effects of different narrative structures on transportation and counterarguing. Results suggest that a narrative presenting events in chronological order increases transportation in the case of people who are not affected by the health issue addressed in the communication, and that transportation reduces counterarguing. The study also found that such narratives increase counterarguing in general.