Each negative word in a headline boosts CTR by ~2.3%, Nature study finds
CurieuxExplorer · x · 2026-10-13
Citing a Nature Human Behaviour study analyzing headlines across 370M+ impressions, each additional negative word raised click-through rates by roughly 2.3%. Human attention is sensitive to threat, and the attention economy knows it. The author, an AI creator, notes that AI video feeds are full of spectacular destruction and questions why creators keep gravitating toward the same spectacle.
Related event: Why AI Video Feeds Are Full of Destruction: A Thread on Catastrophe Content(8 posts)→
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