{"id":1859,"date":"2025-07-24T11:13:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T09:13:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lexi.hr\/why-are-we-drawn-to-sensational-headlines-and-irresistible-clickswe-explore-the-psychological-mechanisms-behind-clickbait-and-how-to-recognize-them\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T13:21:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:21:32","slug":"why-are-we-drawn-to-sensational-headlines-and-irresistible-clickswe-explore-the-psychological-mechanisms-behind-clickbait-and-how-to-recognize-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lexi.hr\/en\/why-are-we-drawn-to-sensational-headlines-and-irresistible-clickswe-explore-the-psychological-mechanisms-behind-clickbait-and-how-to-recognize-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are we attracted to sensational headlines and irresistible clicks? We explore the psychological mechanisms behind clickbait and how to recognize them."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>Today we\u2019re talking about:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Are Supertalent videos really to blame for brain cell loss?<\/em><br\/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>Why can\u2019t even the smartest people resist clicking on \u201cshocking\u201d headlines?<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>4 psychological tricks that make us click\u2014even when we know the headline leads nowhere.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>How digital algorithms deliberately turn us into\u2026 click addicts.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>How to spot clickbait in 5 seconds\u2014and still click on it from time to time.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why do we keep clicking on clickbait?<\/h3>\n\n<p>I admit, I have phases when I watch Supertalent compilations for hours. I&#8217;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.   <\/p>\n\n<p>And there I am, lying in bed\u2026 laptop on my lap\u2026 scrolling endlessly\u2026 feeling my brain cells slowly fading away\u2026 and suddenly, I come across this: <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/dms\/image\/v2\/D4D12AQFoVWizrOYb9A\/article-inline_image-shrink_400_744\/B4DZT_0xYRHwAY-\/0\/1739458813599?e=2147483647&amp;v=beta&amp;t=0Bxo7DaaY7cW5v9zb40753mTzPqFu_i7GAeSdLTjUe4\" alt=\"Britain's Got Talent judges stunned by contestant&#x2019;s shocking performance &#x2014; a viral moment with millions of views.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<p><em>\u201cWhat audition is this?\u201d <\/em>flashes through my mind.<br\/><em>\u201cHave I already seen it in one of the 45 compilations I&#8217;ve watched in the last 4 hours?\u201d<\/em> I wonder.<br\/><em>\u201cNo way, I haven\u2019t\u2014because the judges clearly look shocked by this audition, and I haven\u2019t seen any video like that yet.\u201d<\/em><br\/>And with that thought, I click on the video. <\/p>\n\n<p>What do I get? A guy swallowing swords. <\/p>\n\n<p>Okay, I admit, that\u2019s impressive. But shocking? Hardly. It was even a bit disappointing because the headline promised more. What was I expecting? No idea\u2014but given the SHOCKING headline, I thought I\u2019d be blown away. Instead, I was left with my shoes on, watching a familiar video, and wasting 5 minutes and 12 seconds.      <\/p>\n\n<p>And that makes me seriously wonder:<\/p>\n\n<p><em>Why do we click on these kinds of headlines, even though we know they often disappoint us?<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>Because evolution drives us to do it\u2014something you probably didn\u2019t know.<br\/><\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Clickbait has existed for centuries \u2014 it\u2019s not just a digital problem.<\/h3>\n\n<p>Many people think clickbait is a product of the digital age. Well, it\u2019s not. Its roots go back to the sensationalist journalism of the 19th century, which we commonly call \u201cyellow journalism.\u201d Or, as some might say today, \u201cevery article about the Kardashians \u2014 EVER.\u201d     <\/p>\n\n<p>Although celebrities didn\u2019t exist back then (<em>at least not in the way we know them today)<\/em>, the headlines still screamed about local scandals and dramas to sell newspapers. And it worked well for them.  <\/p>\n\n<p>So well, in fact, that little has changed in 200 years. Because even though the medium is different, the goal remains the same.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Clickbait is strategically designed to make us click. As Kate Scott (2021) says \u2014 all links are made to be clicked. But for clickbait links, that\u2019s their only purpose.   <\/p>\n\n<p>It relies on two things we all share: <strong>limited attention and the desire for knowledge<\/strong>. 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.   <\/p>\n\n<p>And it succeeds because it has its 3 dimensions.<br\/><\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Three psychological dimensions of clickbait<\/h3>\n\n<p>Alain Samson (2024) says that our susceptibility to clickbait can be viewed through three dimensions: cognitive, emotional, and experiential. <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Cognitive dimension: Curiosity drives us to click.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>According to him, the <strong>cognitive dimension <\/strong>involves our <em>curiosity<\/em>. No matter which definition of curiosity we use, one thing is certain \u2014 we are all curious. Whether intrinsic or extrinsic, we simply <em>want<\/em> to know something. And the more curious we are, the more susceptible we become to clicking on clickbait.    <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Emotional dimension: Impulsiveness without thinking.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p><strong>The emotional dimension<\/strong> involves <em>self-control and impulsiveness<\/em>. For example, when we buy something, we get an immediate satisfaction from owning it\u2014it\u2019s an impulsive purchase. Clicking is somewhat similar. In moments of impulsiveness, we often click because our minds aren\u2019t occupied with other thoughts, or we simply don\u2019t think about what we\u2019re doing. And then\u2026 click!     <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Experiential dimension: The search for new information.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>The last dimension is <strong>experiential<\/strong>, which involves <em>openness to new experiences and the pursuit of novel and complex knowledge<\/em>. The more we seek something new and chase knowledge, the more likely we are to click on clickbait\u2014simply because our need to satisfy that curiosity outweighs the possibility that the information we get might be useless.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Interestingly, studies show that some of these dimensions are linked to high intelligence, which means that many highly educated people also fall for clickbait. <\/p>\n\n<p>So, it\u2019s not about being smart\u2014it\u2019s about psychological tricks that catch us all.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to spot clickbait in 5 seconds?<\/h3>\n\n<p>There are 4 ways you can instantly tell you\u2019re looking at clickbait. (Disclaimer: even if you know it\u2019s clickbait, that doesn\u2019t mean you won\u2019t click. Our curiosity is often stronger than common sense.) <\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>They use headlines that leave you confused:<\/strong> Partial information and\/or intrigue are used to spark our curiosity.<br\/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They hit where it hurts: <\/strong>emphasizing shock, surprise, or fear.<br\/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They write like an excited teenager:<\/strong> using lots of strong words and superlatives like \u201cunbelievable,\u201d \u201cshocking,\u201d or \u201cbest ever.\u201d<br\/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>They list and number everything: <\/strong>\u201c10 reasons why\u2026\u201d or \u201c5 secrets you didn\u2019t know.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p>These are the ways clickbait plays with our expectations\u2014but often lets us down. Still\u2026 there\u2019s something about it that makes it irresistible. And the answer lies in our psychology.  <br\/><\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4 psychological tricks that make clickbait irresistible to us<\/h3>\n\n<p><strong>Curiosity Gap: Our brain hates unanswered questions.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>Curiosity Gap, or the gap in knowledge, is key to understanding clickbait. George Loewenstein\u2019s theory (1994) explains how people feel discomfort when faced with informational \u201cgaps.\u201d By clicking on a headline that promises to answer an unanswered question, we\u2019re trying to fill that gap.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Example: <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/dms\/image\/v2\/D4D12AQG4tWNQZs3GGQ\/article-inline_image-shrink_400_744\/B4DZT_0IPXHYAc-\/0\/1739458644156?e=2147483647&amp;v=beta&amp;t=-sNDIg_KzEjqpgkoNujTEHOmHOEwieoj0Bl51JvcQBA\" alt=\"Mariah Carey earns millions from All I Want for Christmas Is You, a song released 30 years ago &#x2014; a Christmas hit that brings in major revenue every year.\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<p>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\u2019s 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.   <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Emotional Triggers: Fear, surprise, and shock as bait.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>As we mentioned, clickbait often targets our emotions. For example, this headline&#8230;  <\/p>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.licdn.com\/dms\/image\/v2\/D5612AQEVjhwEQaZOwQ\/article-inline_image-shrink_1500_2232\/B56ZT_1NseGQAU-\/0\/1739458928475?e=2147483647&amp;v=beta&amp;t=hYsIdtQrRMW5b92WxvGXXal0G0TZv58B2n5NZfEil44\" alt=\"&#x201C;26 shocking and chilling secrets people discovered about their loved ones &#x2013; surprising and terrifying moments that change relationships.&#x201D;\"\/><\/figure>\n\n<p>\u2026it triggers fear (\u201chorrifying\u201d) and surprise (\u201cshocking\u201d). In doing so, it taps into our evolutionary need for survival (fight or flight) and awareness of our environment. It\u2019s our brain\u2019s way of preparing for the information we\u2019re about to learn. <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>&#8220;How does dopamine drive us to click on clickbait headlines?&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>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 \u201chit\u201d of dopamine becomes a habit. Even when the content disappoints, just clicking alone rewards us. Tricky.     <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>How do digital algorithms favor clickbait content?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>Open Chrome (<em>or any other browser<\/em>) on your phone. Even before you open a new tab, you&#8217;ll see a bunch of news articles that the algorithm has decided are relevant to you. And I\u2019m pretty sure that the vast majority of them rely on intrigue and clickbait. Social media and platforms depend on our interests (<em>collected via cookies<\/em>) and algorithms that favor highly engaging content (<em>meaning headlines that have already gathered many clicks<\/em>). That\u2019s why clickbait becomes a tool to maximize clicks and shares.     <br\/><\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Clickbait or Legitimate Curiosity? How to Tell the Difference <\/h3>\n\n<p>Is every intriguing sentence clickbait?<\/p>\n\n<p>The answer is \u2014 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.  <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>\u201eHOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE\u201c<\/strong> \u2013 Dale Carnegie<\/p>\n\n<p>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.    <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>\u201eWHEN DOCTORS \u201cFEEL ROTTEN\u201d, THIS IS WHAT THEY DO\u201c<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>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&#8217;s done by the people who know best! And this article talks about exactly that. Their advice.      <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Why aren&#8217;t these clickbait headlines?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>Because even though they are intriguing and promise something \u2014 they promise concretely and deliver on it. <\/p>\n\n<p>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.   <\/p>\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s say we turn these headlines above into clickbait. The first one would be about how Dale Carnegie has too many friends and doesn&#8217;t really have a clue how to make new friends, because they come to him on their own.  <\/p>\n\n<p>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. <\/p>\n\n<p>Well, that&#8217;s what they would be if they were clickbait.<\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Clickbait: How does headline manipulation make us distrustful?<\/h3>\n\n<p>Clickbait has its consequences. <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>We don&#8217;t trust anyone anymore.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>What does clickbait do to our perception?<\/p>\n\n<p>Imagine you have a coworker who comes in with a new piece of gossip every other week. <\/p>\n\n<p>He says, &#8220;You won&#8217;t believe what Mislav told me today!&#8221; And then when your curiosity is piqued, you ask, &#8220;Oh my God! What?!&#8221;  <\/p>\n\n<p>He tells you, &#8220;He told me that my wife&#8217;s aunt&#8217;s mother is getting a divorce!&#8221; <\/p>\n\n<p>It wouldn&#8217;t be much fun, would it? Realistically, you don&#8217;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.    <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>We have no idea whether the information is real or fake.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>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<em>\u2019ve done this more times than I care to admit<\/em>).  <\/p>\n\n<p>This can have serious consequences, from political polarization to the spread of dangerous myths and differences in society. Growth Design (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/redir\/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrowth%2Edesign%2Fcase-studies%2Ffacebook-misinformation&amp;urlhash=ZqMM&amp;trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/growth.design\/case-studies\/facebook-misinformation<\/a>) 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.  <\/p>\n\n<p>Admittedly, the new unfolding of circumstances is Facebook&#8217;s checkmate, where Facebook excludes fact checking in America from 2025. (The Guardian, 2025) Oh God! Never on the green branch.    <\/p>\n\n<p><strong>Our attention is for s&#8230;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>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. <\/p>\n\n<p>Instead of deep thinking, it encourages us to &#8220;scroll&#8221; through content looking for instant gratification. Dopamine hit. And that all of our brain cells die while watching Supertalent compilations.   <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to recognize and avoid clickbait?<\/h3>\n\n<p><strong>1. If you read clickbait<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Think critically: Before you click, ask yourself: does the title offer me something concrete? What can I expect from this title? <br\/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Check your sources: Reliable sources are less likely to use clickbait. And it wouldn&#8217;t hurt to familiarize yourself with sources that are known for clickbait (hint: they rhyme with nuzzbeed). <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p><strong>2. If you write clickbait<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Focus on quality: Write intriguing titles ONLY IF their content is not manipulative (or unrelated to the title).<br\/><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>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. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p><strong>3. Broader social responsibility<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<p>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.  <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to use curiosity more wisely?<\/h3>\n\n<p>Not everything is so dark and we don&#8217;t have to turn off curiosity.<\/p>\n\n<p>We just have to use it better. <\/p>\n\n<p>We are all victims of our own weaknesses \u2013 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. <\/p>\n\n<p>But the key is not in avoiding it completely (<em>because let&#8217;s be real, no one is immune to &#8220;You MUST see this!&#8221;)<\/em>, but in consciously choosing content that is worth our time. <\/p>\n\n<p>So the next time you see a headline that screams &#8220;You won&#8217;t believe what happened!&#8221; remember: most of the time you won&#8217;t really be shocked, laughed at, or enlightened. <\/p>\n\n<p>Here, I have to be the first to remember that a Supertalent video won&#8217;t really shock me, it&#8217;ll just be another kid with a sad story singing <em>Defying Gravity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p>P.S. Did you know that even the Bible can be clickbait? Here&#8217;s how: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/redir\/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fbabylonbee%2Ecom%2Fnews%2F8-bible-stories-as-youtube-clickbait-videos&amp;urlhash=OZhL&amp;trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/babylonbee.com\/news\/8-bible-stories-as-youtube-clickbait-videos<\/a> <\/p>\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">References<\/h3>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Carnegie, D. (1936). How to Win Friends and Influence People.  <em>New York: Simon &amp; Schuster.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Loewenstein, G. (1994). The Psychology of Curiosity: A Review and Reinterpretation. <em> Psychological Bulletin, 116(1), 75-98.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Microsoft (2015). <em>Attention Spans Research Report.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Scott, K., 2021. You won&#8217;t believe what&#8217;s in this paper! Clickbait, relevance and the curiosity gap. <em>Journal of pragmatics<\/em>, <em>175<\/em>, pp.53-66.  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Samson, A, 2024. The Shocking Truth About Clickbait, <em>Psychology Today <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/redir\/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Epsychologytoday%2Ecom%2Fintl%2Fblog%2Fconsumed%2F202406%2Fthe-shocking-truth-about-clickbait&amp;urlhash=hDZ7&amp;trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.psychologytoday.com\/intl\/blog\/consumed\/202406\/the-shocking-truth-about-clickbait<\/a>  <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Wardle, C., &amp; Derakhshan, H. (2017). Information Disorder: Toward an Interdisciplinary Framework for Research and Policy Making.  <em>Council of Europe.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/redir\/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgrowth%2Edesign%2Fcase-studies%2Ffacebook-misinformation&amp;urlhash=ZqMM&amp;trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/growth.design\/case-studies\/facebook-misinformation<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Booth, R. (2025). Meta to get rid of factcheckers and recommend more political content. <em>The Guardian <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/redir\/redirect?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Etheguardian%2Ecom%2Ftechnology%2F2025%2Fjan%2F07%2Fmeta-facebook-instagram-threads-mark-zuckerberg-remove-fact-checkers-recommend-political-content&amp;urlhash=tzf6&amp;trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_little-text-block\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/2025\/jan\/07\/meta-facebook-instagram-threads-mark-zuckerberg-remove-fact-checkers-recommend-political-content<\/a> <em> <\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why are we attracted to sensational headlines and irresistible clicks? We explore the psychological mechanisms behind clickbait and how to recognize them. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1831,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1859","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-our-thoughts"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why are we attracted to sensational headlines and irresistible clicks? 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