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Why are we attracted to sensational headlines and irresistible clicks? We explore the psychological mechanisms behind clickbait and how to recognize them.

  • 12 min read

Today we’re talking about:

  • Are Supertalent videos really to blame for brain cell loss?
  • Why can’t even the smartest people resist clicking on “shocking” headlines?
  • 4 psychological tricks that make us click—even when we know the headline leads nowhere.
  • How digital algorithms deliberately turn us into… click addicts.
  • How to spot clickbait in 5 seconds—and still click on it from time to time.

Why do we keep clicking on clickbait?

I admit, I have phases when I watch Supertalent compilations for hours. I’ve already seen so many old and popular videos that I know them by heart, yet I still keep coming back to them. Nostalgia? Maybe.

And there I am, lying in bed… laptop on my lap… scrolling endlessly… feeling my brain cells slowly fading away… and suddenly, I come across this:

Britain's Got Talent judges stunned by contestant’s shocking performance — a viral moment with millions of views.

“What audition is this?” flashes through my mind.
“Have I already seen it in one of the 45 compilations I’ve watched in the last 4 hours?” I wonder.
“No way, I haven’t—because the judges clearly look shocked by this audition, and I haven’t seen any video like that yet.”
And with that thought, I click on the video.

What do I get? A guy swallowing swords.

Okay, I admit, that’s impressive. But shocking? Hardly. It was even a bit disappointing because the headline promised more. What was I expecting? No idea—but given the SHOCKING headline, I thought I’d be blown away. Instead, I was left with my shoes on, watching a familiar video, and wasting 5 minutes and 12 seconds.

And that makes me seriously wonder:

Why do we click on these kinds of headlines, even though we know they often disappoint us?

Because evolution drives us to do it—something you probably didn’t know.

Clickbait has existed for centuries — it’s not just a digital problem.

Many people think clickbait is a product of the digital age. Well, it’s not. Its roots go back to the sensationalist journalism of the 19th century, which we commonly call “yellow journalism.” Or, as some might say today, “every article about the Kardashians — EVER.”

Although celebrities didn’t exist back then (at least not in the way we know them today), the headlines still screamed about local scandals and dramas to sell newspapers. And it worked well for them.

So well, in fact, that little has changed in 200 years. Because even though the medium is different, the goal remains the same.

Clickbait is strategically designed to make us click. As Kate Scott (2021) says — all links are made to be clicked. But for clickbait links, that’s their only purpose.

It relies on two things we all share: limited attention and the desire for knowledge. In a world where the average attention span has dropped to just eight seconds (Microsoft, 2015), clickbait has only a moment to grab us. And it often succeeds.

And it succeeds because it has its 3 dimensions.

Three psychological dimensions of clickbait

Alain Samson (2024) says that our susceptibility to clickbait can be viewed through three dimensions: cognitive, emotional, and experiential.

Cognitive dimension: Curiosity drives us to click.

According to him, the cognitive dimension involves our curiosity. No matter which definition of curiosity we use, one thing is certain — we are all curious. Whether intrinsic or extrinsic, we simply want to know something. And the more curious we are, the more susceptible we become to clicking on clickbait.

Emotional dimension: Impulsiveness without thinking.

The emotional dimension involves self-control and impulsiveness. For example, when we buy something, we get an immediate satisfaction from owning it—it’s an impulsive purchase. Clicking is somewhat similar. In moments of impulsiveness, we often click because our minds aren’t occupied with other thoughts, or we simply don’t think about what we’re doing. And then… click!

Experiential dimension: The search for new information.

The last dimension is experiential, which involves openness to new experiences and the pursuit of novel and complex knowledge. The more we seek something new and chase knowledge, the more likely we are to click on clickbait—simply because our need to satisfy that curiosity outweighs the possibility that the information we get might be useless.

Interestingly, studies show that some of these dimensions are linked to high intelligence, which means that many highly educated people also fall for clickbait.

So, it’s not about being smart—it’s about psychological tricks that catch us all.

How to spot clickbait in 5 seconds?

There are 4 ways you can instantly tell you’re looking at clickbait. (Disclaimer: even if you know it’s clickbait, that doesn’t mean you won’t click. Our curiosity is often stronger than common sense.)

  • They use headlines that leave you confused: Partial information and/or intrigue are used to spark our curiosity.
  • They hit where it hurts: emphasizing shock, surprise, or fear.
  • They write like an excited teenager: using lots of strong words and superlatives like “unbelievable,” “shocking,” or “best ever.”
  • They list and number everything: “10 reasons why…” or “5 secrets you didn’t know.”

These are the ways clickbait plays with our expectations—but often lets us down. Still… there’s something about it that makes it irresistible. And the answer lies in our psychology.

4 psychological tricks that make clickbait irresistible to us

Curiosity Gap: Our brain hates unanswered questions.

Curiosity Gap, or the gap in knowledge, is key to understanding clickbait. George Loewenstein’s theory (1994) explains how people feel discomfort when faced with informational “gaps.” By clicking on a headline that promises to answer an unanswered question, we’re trying to fill that gap.

Example:

Mariah Carey earns millions from All I Want for Christmas Is You, a song released 30 years ago — a Christmas hit that brings in major revenue every year.

This headline creates frustration because it only gives part of the information. Our brain feels the need to find out the rest. Even though the information about Mariah Carey’s earnings means nothing to my life, just because I read this headline, I now have to know how much money drops into her account every Christmas.

Emotional Triggers: Fear, surprise, and shock as bait.

As we mentioned, clickbait often targets our emotions. For example, this headline…

“26 shocking and chilling secrets people discovered about their loved ones – surprising and terrifying moments that change relationships.”

…it triggers fear (“horrifying”) and surprise (“shocking”). In doing so, it taps into our evolutionary need for survival (fight or flight) and awareness of our environment. It’s our brain’s way of preparing for the information we’re about to learn.

“How does dopamine drive us to click on clickbait headlines?”

Clicking on an intriguing headline activates dopamine, a chemical in the brain that creates a feeling of pleasure. Regardless of the information itself, dopamine release is satisfied the moment we complete the action we intended. This instant “hit” of dopamine becomes a habit. Even when the content disappoints, just clicking alone rewards us. Tricky.

How do digital algorithms favor clickbait content?

Open Chrome (or any other browser) on your phone. Even before you open a new tab, you’ll see a bunch of news articles that the algorithm has decided are relevant to you. And I’m pretty sure that the vast majority of them rely on intrigue and clickbait. Social media and platforms depend on our interests (collected via cookies) and algorithms that favor highly engaging content (meaning headlines that have already gathered many clicks). That’s why clickbait becomes a tool to maximize clicks and shares.

Clickbait or Legitimate Curiosity? How to Tell the Difference

Is every intriguing sentence clickbait?

The answer is — no. One of the most important aspects is distinguishing legitimate curiosity from manipulative clickbait. To better understand this, here are 2 examples of headlines that are very famous but not clickbait.

„HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE“ – Dale Carnegie

This title is appealing because it promises value: practical advice for making friends. And humans are social creatures, so this topic is close to their hearts. The title may be intriguing, but it delivers exactly what it says. Good advice. Try reading a book without getting at least one smart idea from the text.

„WHEN DOCTORS “FEEL ROTTEN”, THIS IS WHAT THEY DO“

This paradox is interesting to us right away. Why? Because we rarely think of doctors as people who get sick. And when they do, what they do carries a note of authority and greater certainty that something will work. Well, how could it not when it’s done by the people who know best! And this article talks about exactly that. Their advice.

Why aren’t these clickbait headlines?

Because even though they are intriguing and promise something — they promise concretely and deliver on it.

Clickbait, on the other hand, often attracts attention with empty promises, but without any real intention of satisfying our needs. Kind of like a toxic relationship. Or the Kardashians.

Let’s say we turn these headlines above into clickbait. The first one would be about how Dale Carnegie has too many friends and doesn’t really have a clue how to make new friends, because they come to him on their own.

Or another would write about how Herbalife has great products for the solution to colds, but there is actually no evidence anywhere that it works or mention that actual doctors use it.

Well, that’s what they would be if they were clickbait.

Clickbait: How does headline manipulation make us distrustful?

Clickbait has its consequences.

We don’t trust anyone anymore.

What does clickbait do to our perception?

Imagine you have a coworker who comes in with a new piece of gossip every other week.

He says, “You won’t believe what Mislav told me today!” And then when your curiosity is piqued, you ask, “Oh my God! What?!”

He tells you, “He told me that my wife’s aunt’s mother is getting a divorce!”

It wouldn’t be much fun, would it? Realistically, you don’t even know these people. And even if he essentially told you a somewhat true statement given what he claimed, the force of his words would still lose credibility. The same goes for clickbait. When the media consistently uses manipulative tactics, we as an audience become skeptical.

We have no idea whether the information is real or fake.

Studies show that sensational and false headlines spread faster than accurate information (Wardle and Derakshan, 2017). This is likely because people often share an article without even reading it, based solely on the headline (I’ve done this more times than I care to admit).

This can have serious consequences, from political polarization to the spread of dangerous myths and differences in society. Growth Design (https://growth.design/case-studies/facebook-misinformation) also has a proposal to solve this problem, where they suggest to Facebook that when sharing each article, they have a popup where they prompt the person to read the article before sharing it, in order to reduce the amount of misinformation.

Admittedly, the new unfolding of circumstances is Facebook’s checkmate, where Facebook excludes fact checking in America from 2025. (The Guardian, 2025) Oh God! Never on the green branch.

Our attention is for s…

Clickbait contributes to a culture of quick reading and superficial information. And even as short-form content is becoming increasingly popular, human attention spans are drastically decreasing.

Instead of deep thinking, it encourages us to “scroll” through content looking for instant gratification. Dopamine hit. And that all of our brain cells die while watching Supertalent compilations.

How to recognize and avoid clickbait?

1. If you read clickbait

  • Think critically: Before you click, ask yourself: does the title offer me something concrete? What can I expect from this title?
  • Check your sources: Reliable sources are less likely to use clickbait. And it wouldn’t hurt to familiarize yourself with sources that are known for clickbait (hint: they rhyme with nuzzbeed).

2. If you write clickbait

  • Focus on quality: Write intriguing titles ONLY IF their content is not manipulative (or unrelated to the title).
  • Learn from the best: Follow role models like the BBC and Al Jazeera. With them, you see that quality can attract an audience without sensationalism.

3. Broader social responsibility

We are all part of some kind of society. And as such, we are responsible for what happens in it. By increasing technological literacy and encouraging critical thinking, we can more easily break this vicious circle.

How to use curiosity more wisely?

Not everything is so dark and we don’t have to turn off curiosity.

We just have to use it better.

We are all victims of our own weaknesses – curiosity, impulsivity, and that dopamine rush we get when we learn something new. To break free from the pull of curiosity, we need to be aware of our own habits and choose content based on logic.

But the key is not in avoiding it completely (because let’s be real, no one is immune to “You MUST see this!”), but in consciously choosing content that is worth our time.

So the next time you see a headline that screams “You won’t believe what happened!” remember: most of the time you won’t really be shocked, laughed at, or enlightened.

Here, I have to be the first to remember that a Supertalent video won’t really shock me, it’ll just be another kid with a sad story singing Defying Gravity.

P.S. Did you know that even the Bible can be clickbait? Here’s how: https://babylonbee.com/news/8-bible-stories-as-youtube-clickbait-videos

References

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