Across 15 studies (N = 2,636), people who considered the prevalence of a problem (e.g., 4.2 million people drive drunk each month) inferred it caused less harm, a phenomenon we dub the big problem paradox. People believed dire problems-ranging from poverty to drunk driving-were less problematic upon learning the number of people they affect (Studies 1-2). Prevalence information caused medical experts to infer medication nonadherence was less dangerous, just as it led women to underestimate their true risk of contracting cancer. The big problem paradox results from an optimistic view of the world. When people believe the world is good, they assume widespread problems have been addressed and, thus, cause less harm (Studies 3-4). The big problem paradox has key implications for motivation and helping behavior (Studies 5-6). Learning the prevalence of medical conditions (i.e., chest pain, suicidal ideation) led people to think a symptomatic individual was less sick and, as a result, to help less-in violation of clinical guidelines. The finding that scale warps judgments and de-motivates action is of particular relevance in the globalized 21st century. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

中文翻译：

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问题越大越小：当问题的范围使其看起来不那么危险时。


在 15 项研究 （N = 2,636） 中，考虑问题普遍性的人（例如，每月有 420 万人酒后驾车）推断它造成的伤害较小，我们将这种现象称为大问题悖论。人们认为，从贫困到酒后驾车等可怕的问题在了解到它们所影响的人数后，问题就不那么严重了（研究 1-2）。患病率信息使医学专家推断出不依从性服药的危险性较小，就像它导致女性低估了她们患癌症的真实风险一样。大问题悖论源于对世界的乐观看法。当人们相信世界是美好的时，他们就会认为普遍的问题已经得到解决，因此造成的伤害较小（研究 3-4）。大问题悖论对动机和帮助行为具有关键意义（研究 5-6）。了解医疗状况（即胸痛、自杀意念）的患病率使人们认为有症状的个体病情较轻，因此，帮助较少违反临床指南。规模扭曲判断并降低行动积极性的发现在全球化的 21 世纪尤为重要。（PsycInfo 数据库记录 （c） 2024 APA，保留所有权利）。