Sorry for not reading past the first page, so maybe their conclusion is the same, but: in the case of the HIV test, it's pretty clear that people avoid it because the mere thought forces you to confront the possibility, and that is tough. At least that was my experience, even though I rationally knew that it was better to know, boy was it tempting to not pick up the result.
Another interesting tangent on it is that I got my results the same day, but there are places where they make you wait for a week, just so you think about it.
That’s a very good point. I also went through this dilemma a few years ago and it was very difficult for me.
Given my personality, I always strive to do what’s right regardless of how difficult or uncomfortable it is. I can say I have ALWAYS succeeded in doing that. But a few years ago when I was in a situation where I needed to get an HIV test, I was very scared and nervous. I was sweating every now and then thinking about it. I couldn’t focus on work and I couldn’t have any fun. The only thing that helped me a little bit was to rationally predict my outcome based on statistics and past behavior.
But all in all, I trusted in the process and got myself to go through with it step by step.
Another interesting tangent on it is that I got my results the same day, but there are places where they make you wait for a week, just so you think about it.