An agent-based exploration of the influence of needs on health protection motivation and intentions

Human behavior plays a crucial role in public health. In the same sense, understanding the multifaceted factors influencing health-related decisions is essential to derive meaningful protective measures. In this study, we demonstrate how values, social norms and individual needs can be combined within the theoretical framework of the Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to study the intention-behavior gap regarding smoking in social settings. By extending upon a previous model that relied on social pressure as primary mechanism, we investigate how the inclusion of needs shifts behavior toward higher polarization and stronger adherence with intentions. As a novelty compared to previous approaches, conflicts of social pressure and different needs are the source of cognitive dissonance, leading to a gradual shift in attitudes or social network constellations. Most particularly, the inclusion of needs leads to the observation of both peer pressure-induced smoking as well as frequent failure to cease smoking as outcomes in the model.