Headlines that grab your gut
False stories spread faster than true ones, and strong feelings are the fuel. Learn the headline tricks and the pause that beats them.
THE BIG STUDY
Falsehood travels faster
Soroush Vosoughi, Deb Roy and Sinan Aral (Science, 2018) followed about 126,000 stories spread on Twitter from 2006 to 2017, each checked by independent fact-checking organisations. False stories were about 70% more likely to be retweeted than true ones, and true stories took about six times as long to reach 1,500 people. The false stories tended to be more novel, and replies to them showed more surprise and disgust.
The researchers also checked bots. Bots spread true and false stories at similar rates. The difference came from people.
THE FUEL
Strong feelings speed up sharing
Anger, fear, outrage, disgust and awe all make us more likely to share and less likely to check. A calm, accurate story rarely makes your pulse jump. A made-up one can be built to. That's why the stories that spread fastest are so often the ones that feel most urgent.
"New study finds modest change in water quality" gets a shrug. "THEY'RE POISONING YOUR WATER" gets forwarded to three groups before breakfast.
Check yourself
In the 2018 study of about 126,000 stories on Twitter, which kind of story spread faster and further?
- True stories, because people trust them more
- False stories
- Both spread at about the same speed
- Whichever came from an official account
Show the answer
False stories
Yes. False stories were about 70% more likely to be retweeted, and true ones took about six times as long to reach 1,500 people.
Check yourself
In the 2018 Twitter study, false stories spread faster mainly because of automated bot accounts.
Show the answer
False
False. Bots spread true and false stories at similar rates. The extra speed of false stories came from people choosing to share them, which is good news in a way: it means people can also choose to slow them down.
Headline tricks to spot
- ALL CAPS and "!!!": shouting to make you feel it before you think it.
- "You won't believe…" and "What they don't want you to know": curiosity bait with a hint of secret.
- "BREAKING" stuck on old news, to make it feel urgent.
- A question headline ("Is your phone giving you cancer?") that suggests yes without saying it.
- Vague sources: "experts warn", "doctors are shocked", with no names.
Check yourself
Which headlines use a trick, and which just report?
- "You won't believe what this common spice does to your liver"
- "City council approves new bus route to the airport"
- "BREAKING!!! BANKS CLOSING TOMORROW"
- "Heavy rain expected in the north on Thursday, weather office says"
- "Experts warn: this everyday habit is destroying your kids"
- "University study of 2,000 students finds sleep linked to exam scores"
Show the answer
Uses a trick: "You won't believe what this common spice does to your liver", "BREAKING!!! BANKS CLOSING TOMORROW", "Experts warn: this everyday habit is destroying your kids"
Plain report: "City council approves new bus route to the airport", "Heavy rain expected in the north on Thursday, weather office says", "University study of 2,000 students finds sleep linked to exam scores"
The headline and the article under it
Headline
"Common herb CURES cancer, scientists say"
This is what gets shared, often by people who never click.
Paragraph six of the article
"In one small study in mice, an extract of the herb slowed the growth of one type of tumour. Researchers say it is far too early to know whether this applies to people."
This is what the evidence actually says.
Check yourself
A headline reads: "Is coffee destroying your heart?" What trick is this?
- A vague source
- A question headline that implies yes without offering evidence
- "BREAKING" on old news
- No trick: it's just asking a fair question
Show the answer
A question headline that implies yes without offering evidence
Right. The question plants the worry without having to back it up. Often the article's honest answer is "probably not" or "we don't know", but the headline has already done its job.
The pause: "BREAKING: city water poisoned, don't drink!!", forwarded at 11 pm
- Name the feeling
"This scares me." Saying it, even silently, puts a gap between the feeling and your thumb. A strong feeling is the signal to slow down, not to share.
- Ask who the source is
No name, no organisation, no link? Then nobody is standing behind the warning yet.
- Check who else is reporting it
A real water emergency would be on the water company's or city's official channels and on local news within the hour.
- Check when it first appeared
Old warnings get re-forwarded for years. Search a phrase from the message and look at the dates.
Check yourself
A post about a shocking crime in your neighbourhood makes you furious. What's the best first move?
- Share it straight away so people can stay safe
- Share it with "not sure if true" added
- Pause, notice the anger, and check the source and who else is reporting it before sharing
- Reply angrily to the person who posted it
Show the answer
Pause, notice the anger, and check the source and who else is reporting it before sharing
Yes. The fury is your signal. A minute of checking costs little; a false alarm shared to hundreds of neighbours can cause real fear and harm.
Lesson recap
- In a large 2018 study, false stories were about 70% more likely to be retweeted than true ones.
- True stories took about six times as long to reach 1,500 people; people, not bots, made the difference.
- Anger, fear and surprise make us share more and check less; many links are shared unread.
- Headline tricks: ALL CAPS, "You won't believe…", "BREAKING" on old news, question headlines, vague experts.
- A strong feeling is the signal to pause: name it, then check the source before you share.