An emerging health marketing tactic is to anthropomorphize human organs; that is, to attach human features to the organs in health messages. Marketers and policy makers use this tactic to increase people’s attention to health promotion messages. We examine how organ anthropomorphism in health communication influences people’s follow-up health behavior. Six studies conducted in the field, the laboratory, and online (with over 4,000 participants) demonstrate that organ anthropomorphism can thwart people’s learning about health and engaging in health behavior. Our studies reveal that this detrimental effect occurs because anthropomorphizing organs increases the perceived psychological distance to the organ (i.e., reducing the psychological connection and relevance to the organ). Consistent with this mechanism, we propose that messages should emphasize the organ as a part of the human body, thereby diminishing the negative effect. We also identify individuals’ initial concern on the organ health as a boundary condition. Our results contribute to theory on anthropomorphism and health marketing. We also provide practical implications for enhancing the effectiveness of health marketing.