Reactions to negative and positive news

A study involving 1,156 people from 17 countries finds that, in general, people are more physiologically triggered by negative news compared with positive news, as indicated by measures such as skin conductance levels and heart rate variability, possibly accounting for the perception that news is generally negative; the authors also found considerable individual variation in physiological responses to news content, suggesting that a substantial audience for positive news exists, according to the authors.

Article #19-08369: “Cross-national evidence of a negativity bias in psychophysiological reactions to news,” by Stuart Soroka, Patrick Fournier, and Lilach Nir.

MEDIA CONTACT: Stuart Soroka, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, MI; tel: 734-272-2478; e-mail:

[email protected]

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