Rumor Acceptance during Public Health Crises: Testing the Emotional Congruence Hypothesis

Rumors pose a significant challenge to officials combatting a public health crisis. The flow of unsubstantiated and often inaccurate information can dilute the effects of more accurate messaging. Understanding why rumors thrive in this context is a crucial first step to constraining them. We propose...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Health Communication 2018, Vol.23 (8), p.791
Main Authors: Kilhoe Na, R. Kelly Garrett, Slater, Michael D
Format: Web Resource
Language:English
Online Access:Request full text
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Summary:Rumors pose a significant challenge to officials combatting a public health crisis. The flow of unsubstantiated and often inaccurate information can dilute the effects of more accurate messaging. Understanding why rumors thrive in this context is a crucial first step to constraining them. We propose a novel mechanism for explaining rumor acceptance during a health crisis, arguing that the congruence between one’s emotional state and the emotion induced by a rumor leads people to believe the rumor. Data collected using a novel experimental design provide preliminary evidence for our emotional congruence hypothesis. Participants who felt angry were more likely to accept anger-inducing rumors than those who were not angry. We discuss the implications of this insight for public health officials combatting rumors during a health crisis.