Researchers found that emotionally charged headlines significantly influence how we process information and judge others, even when we are unsure about the credibility of the news source.
The study highlights the need to further explore the consequences of reading emotionally charged news.
This is essential in protecting ourselves against the damaging consequences of fake news, which significantly impacts personal opinions and public discourse.
Study participants read fictitious headlines about fictitious people. Headlines were either emotionally charged or neutral.
Shortly afterwards, researchers recorded the electrical activity of the participants' brains while they judged the fictitious people. Quick responses usually meant emotional reactions. Slower responses usually meant pausing and factoring source credibility when judging.
Brain activity showed that emotions trumped credibility. The study found that even when participants did not trust a news source, they still made extreme judgements about people whose negative or positive behaviour was reported in the news headlines.
Original article:
Emotional headlines have an impact regardless of the credibility of the source
Original studies:
Emotional news affects social judgments independent of perceived media credibility