By Maria Famakinwa

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Findings have shown that an average Nigerian will be more interested to read negative stories than positive ones even though negative stories can evoke emotions such as fear, anger, rage, sadness, grief, and despair. Yet, many continue to consume it. For instance, if there are two stories, one about a family blessed with triplets and another family who died in an accident, many will prefer to read the latter than the former. Many have conditioned their minds to read about the occurrence of a murder, a traffic accident, a natural disaster, and kidnappings among other negative stories that have become part of our daily lives.

Those who spoke with The Hope on why people prefer negative news to positive ones attributed it to many factors which include human nature, fear, upbringing, and society among others. They maintained that if one is not in tune with the happenings in one’s environment, one may be a victim sooner or later. They averred that the sad occurrences all over the world have further made everyone embrace negative news to learn and apply caution where necessary.

An artisan, Mr Lukman Adebisi, explained that people’s preference for negative news is a reflection of what is happening around us. He added that listening to negative news helps one to plan against such. He said: “It is normal for people to prefer negative news to learn not to be a victim. Especially with the increasing cases of different atrocities being reported almost every day in the country, no sane man will want to ignore such if only to be proactive against it. Reading bad news can act as a signal to avoid and avert danger, which explains why people react more quickly and instinctively to negative news.

“Embracing negative news than positive ones has become habitual to almost all of us that we now see it as a normal thing to do. A friend of mine bought a car after many years of struggling to get one and he called to inform me. I was happy and congratulated him. I promised to check on him to share that moment of joy with him but I was too busy to go until he drove the car to my house. However, after two years, the car had an accident and he called to tell me. I left what I was doing immediately and ran to the scene of the accident. Thank God it was not that serious. People generally are more interested in bad news because they want to find out the cause and how such an incident can be prevented in the future. Human beings are very inquisitive and will always want to increase knowledge which good news may not provide, ” he said.

A banker, who simply gave her name as Titilayomi, opined that people prefer negative news because of its trends. She said that it is negative stories that attract attention and the only stories that sell news.” Go and check the news that has been trending for a long time, they are negative ones. That is why journalists do all they can to get negative news to increase their readership base. It is quite unfortunate that our minds are conditioned to like negative news/stories due to the negative impact of the environment on us. We silence good news and promote the bad ones, the more reasons evil vices are on the rise because some youths who want to get cheap popularity quickly get involved in nefarious activities so that they can trend.

“Aside from the above reason, fear and anxiety also make negative news more interesting to people because negative news can evoke strong emotions such as fear, anxiety, and sadness. These emotions can drive people to seek out information that confirms their worries or fears, leading to a cycle of consuming more negative news. Also, social comparison cannot be played down as one of the reasons people prefer negative news. People often compare themselves to others. Hearing bad news can provide a sense of relief or validation, as it may reinforce the idea that one’s situation is not as dire as that of others. In uncertain times, People may seek out bad news to gain a better understanding of their environment and to prepare for potential threats. This quest for information can create a preference for negative news, as it is perceived as more relevant or urgent.”

Mrs. Oluchi Julius, a teacher revealed that preference for negative news is not only peculiar to Nigerians and added that people all over the world have a preference for bad news because people thrive on bad news for financial gains as She described negative news as an ‘eye-catcher’. Her words: “It is normal for people to read negative news more because we see positive news as something that is expected. Nobody prays for negativity, so if bad news like killings, robberies, or kidnappings occur, we are quick to read it to sympathize with the victims and learn from it to avoid falling into similar traps.

“People are more attracted to bad news because it keeps us abreast with happenings in our environment and to prioritize safety. If someone graduated from the university despite facing challenges, nobody sees such as being special to gain readers’ attention since we believe that facing challenges is part of learning, but if the same person was said to be kidnapped and killed on his/her way home after completing the final examination, it will attract attention and wide condemnation. Such news will make a headline in some of the newspapers for more patronage.

“As emotional as negative news is, it ginger everyone to be prepared. Don’t be surprised that negativity either way you look at it has a way of shaping human beings and society. That is the nature of man. Even, when there is no bad news, man can go as far as creating one to cause chaos as it is happening globally. For instance, if an accident happened, instead of people around to rescue those involved, they will prefer to video them and send gory pictures from the accident scene to different social media because they understand that people will prefer to read or watch such than when they offer to rescue those involved in the accident. All efforts to sensitize people against this bad act have not yielded good results because of human nature to celebrate negative news which many are not ready to admit to. We have more interest in bad news to satisfy our curiosity and be aware of how dangerous certain things can be and what disruptions and changes they may cause to lives, ” she said.

A psychologist, Mr Olumide Ayeni, explained that the preference for bad news over good news can be attributed to several psychological and social factors. According to him, the human mind responds to threats instinctively, both on a physical and psychological level. The emotions people experience when something poses a potential threat or danger, regardless of whether it is direct or not, are much more intense than the positive emotions. When identifying something negative, it acts as a magnet. The human instinct comes into play immediately and strives to uncover the mystery and accumulate all the knowledge on the negative aspects of the subject.

His words: “Humans have a natural tendency to pay more attention to negative information than positive information. This is because if any negative news broke, like the killing of an important personality in society, everybody wanted to read about it to know why the person was killed, the killer, and where he was killed. This news may be on for a long time as people are ready to read any latest developments about the issue. However, this may not be the case if someone just gave birth or became a landlord after many years because news like these are seen as not too special since they happen daily and don’t evoke strong emotions such as fear, anxiety, and sadness that characterize negative news. It is the emotion synonymous with negative news that drives people to seek out information that confirms their worries or fears, leading to a cycle of consuming more negative news.”