Risky drinking is a significant problem for youth and young adults, and mass media messages--such as TV commercials--are frequently used in campaigns aimed at warning them about alcohol use. But how these videos effectively increase awareness of risky drinking, or if they reduce alcohol use in an audience, is not always clear. A new study published in NeuroImage has applied the science of brain synchronisation to assessing the success of alcohol risk campaigns. The results show that the stronger, more engaging videos led to more synchronised brain activity in viewers and that this was associated with subsequent reductions in risky drinking. By showing that neural measures can help to predict alcohol message success, the study shows promise for applications in public health.
