NHS: negativity bias example to copy

What to steal

Give the serious harm its own heading, and say how rare it is in the same section.
End the warning with what to do. This box says “Call NHS 111 if:”.

What to test next: This heading and red box vs the same facts in a single paragraph under “Side effects”. Measure whether people can name the NHS 111 step afterwards.

In plain words

Why it works

The NHS treats negativity bias as a reason to put the bad news where it will be seen: bad events weigh more than equally good ones (Baumeister et al. 2001). The heading is “Side effects of paracetamol”. Under it: “Paracetamol very rarely causes side effects if you take it correctly.” A second heading, “Serious side effects”, introduces “Serious side effects are rare but can include:” an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), liver problems (jaundice), and a problem with blood cells. A red box says “Call NHS 111 if:” and “you’re taking paracetamol and think you might be having serious side effects”. The rare harms get a heading and a next step. Whether the box changes what people do is not public.

Honest nudge or dark pattern?

Honest nudge

Honest nudge: the page says serious effects are rare, names them in plain language, and says when to call NHS 111.

Sources: Captured by Nudgeswipe, 4 Nov 2026 (UK medicine page, logged out)

Context

NHS medicines page “Paracetamol for adults”, logged out, on 4 Nov 2026. This crop is the side-effects section. Common brands on the page, above this crop, include Panadol.

The research

The research behind it

● Strong evidence (provisional) · More on negativity bias, with sources →

Next: run it on your product

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You are helping me apply a behavioural-design pattern ethically.

Pattern: NHS: NHS gives serious paracetamol side effects their own heading
Bias: Negativity bias: Bad events and information affect us more than equally good ones.
Why it nudges: The NHS treats negativity bias as a reason to put the bad news where it will be seen: bad events weigh more than equally good ones (Baumeister et al. 2001). The heading is “Side effects of paracetamol”. Under it: “Paracetamol very rarely causes side effects if you take it correctly.” A second heading, “Serious side effects”, introduces “Serious side effects are rare but can include:” an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), liver problems (jaundice), and a problem with blood cells. A red box says “Call NHS 111 if:” and “you're taking paracetamol and think you might be having serious side effects”. The rare harms get a heading and a next step. Whether the box changes what people do is not public.
Our verdict: Honest nudge. Honest nudge: the page says serious effects are rare, names them in plain language, and says when to call NHS 111.
Source page: https://nudgeswipe.com/examples/nhs-paracetamol-serious-side-effects/ (JSON: https://nudgeswipe.com/api/teardowns/nhs-paracetamol-serious-side-effects.json)

Rules: say a brand "uses" a tactic, never that it "worked"; outcomes are not public unless the company published them; no invented uplift estimates; flag mixed evidence. Honest nudge = true, visible, easy to reverse, and in the user's interest. Dark pattern = hides costs, fakes scarcity or popularity, shames, or makes leaving harder than joining. Quote company-published results as "X reports", with the source link, and don’t generalise them. Don’t cite retracted or failed-to-replicate studies as support (e.g. Ariely & Wertenbroch 2002). Don’t state study figures unless they’re on this page or in a source you can link. If an idea crosses the line, link the matching deceptive.design pattern.

Tasks:
1. Ask me for my product, the flow (URL or screenshots) and the goal.
2. Audit where this pattern already appears, or could, in that flow.
3. Propose 2-3 ethical experiments: hypothesis, variant copy or UI, primary metric, and a guardrail metric (refunds, complaints, cancellations).
4. Flag every dark-pattern risk and say how to stay on the honest side.

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Sources

Our capture of nhs.uk, 4 Nov 2026
Baumeister et al. (2001), Bad is Stronger than Good. doi.org/10.1037/1089-2680.5.4.323
Captured by Nudgeswipe, 4 Nov 2026 (UK medicine page, logged out): nhs.uk

NHS gives serious paracetamol side effects their own heading

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Why it works

Honest nudge

The research behind it

Try it on your own product

5 new nudges, every Friday