Emotional Selection

What it is

In the 2001 study of urban legends by Chip Heath, Chris Bell and Emily Sternberg, people were more willing to pass on stories that stirred stronger disgust, with factors such as truth held constant. The more disgusting version of a legend was the version people preferred to pass on.

In effect

In the article on emotional arousal, it is the early evidence that feeling shapes what spreads, which later work on arousal and sharing then refines.

What it does not say

The studies concern urban legends and disgust. They do not say that every emotion works in the same way, or that feeling alone decides what spreads, and they do not separate activation from pleasantness.

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