In this session of Hot Politics Lab, Suzanne Oosterwijk (University of Amsterdam) will give a talk, titled “Exploring the negative: Why are people curious about other people’s suffering?”.
Abstract for the talk:
In day-to-day life, people often seek out images, videos, and stories that detail death, violence, or harm. In this talk I discuss recent research that aims to understand WHY people are curious about other people’s hardship. First, I will present qualitative work that provides insight into the variety of motives that may underlie the deliberate exploration of negative content. Then, I will discuss how these motives predict choices to seek out negative news, images, stories and art. Based on the discussed work, I propose that decisions to explore negative information may result from a cost-benefit analysis, in which anticipated benefits (e.g., knowledge acquisition) outweigh anticipated costs (e.g., distress).
The talk will be followed by Q&A, and everyone is welcome to join in the Common Room (Roeterseilandcampus Room B9.22) and online through this link.
[upcoming_events_list]
The Hot Politics Lab 2018 || Website designed by Maria Alexandra Rosales