How individuals cope with anger- and sadness-induced narrative misinformation on social media: roles of transportation and correction

Abstract

The spread of health conspiracies and misinformation online threatens public health as most Americans choose to acquire health information online. This study examines how discrete emotions like anger and sadness influence individuals’ responses to narrative-based health misinformation, proposing a theoretical model of narrative misinformation coping and exploring the mechanisms through which these emotions affect risk perception and misinformation coping.

Keywords

• narrative misinformation
• emotions
• anger
• sadness
• transportation
• coping