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Most models of health-related behaviors are based on the assumption that people estimate the seriousness of a risk, evaluate the costs and benefits of action, and then select a course of action that will maximize their expected outcome. Risk refers to the possibility of loss and is generally conceived as consisting of two components: the probability and the severity of negative outcomes. This article focuses on the probability component. First the role of perceived risk in models of health-behavior will be discussed. Possible biases in risk-perception and the role of perceived risk as a determinant of protective behavior are the next issue. This is followed by some methodological considerations about how to measure perceived risk and investigate its role as a behavioral determinant. Next we turn to optimistic biases in comparative risk appraisal and briefly discuss both antecedents and consequences of optimism. Finally …