Many prior studies have documented the predominant tone of news content across news agencies (newspapers, television, news magazines, and citizen journalists). News stories lean heavily toward negative rather than positive content, and can even lead viewers to experience visceral physiological reactions.[1] “If it bleeds, it leads” aptly describes how news media skews toward negative content. Continuous news exposure is now enabled by smartphones we carry in our pockets, with alerts pinging us when something “important” happens.
Is bad news the only news that gets attention? According to the authors of a 2019 study, “Good news is nearly synonymous with the absence of news” (p. 18888).
Why should the public be concerned with the tone of news stories? What are the implications? “The importance of negativity biases for news is relatively clear. Negativity biases affect news selection, and thus also news production, as well as citizens’ attitudes about current affairs” (p. 18888). News coverage also affects each citizen’s knowledge of political and government activity around them.
A team of researchers pursued evidence of “negativity biases” in the news and how news coverage can cause psychophysiological reactions. The researchers wondered if negative news is perceived similarly by individuals in different countries and cultures. Prior research has focused on small Anglo-American samples: this study broadened the participant base to include 17 countries across 6 continents.
A total of 1,156 participants were shown seven randomly ordered BBC World News stories lasting about 25 minutes. The news stories included positive and negative content. While participants watched the stories, their pulse rate and skin conductance were measured using finger sensors. These sensors provided data about each participant’s heart rate as well as “orienting” and “fight or flight” reactions. Participants also completed surveys after watching the news stories.
The study’s results showed that “all around the world, the average human is more physiologically activated by negative than by positive news stories” (p. 18888). This finding was observed in “higher variability in heart rate during negative news stories” and skin conductance revealed greater physiological arousal in response to negative news (p. 18890). However, results did not point to cultural differences but rather the role of individual differences within the same culture/country. “These individual-level differences are not easily explained by culture or country. Indeed, there is considerable within-country variation in responses to news content” (p. 18888).
Should news outlets continue to feed their audiences primarily negative content? The authors explained, “especially in a diversified media environment, news producers should not underestimate the audience for positive news content” (p. 18888). These individual differences, which need further exploration, may reveal that an audience exists who prefer and respond to positive news content.
Citation: Soroka, S., Fournier, P., & Nir, L. (2019). Cross-national evidence of a negativity bias in psychophysiological reactions to news. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(38), 18888-18892.
©Jennie Dilworth, Ph.D
[1] https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200512-how-the-news-changes-the-way-we-think-and-behave