Research Article
How do Good and Bad News Impact Mood During the Covid-19 Pandemic? The Role of Similarity
Authors:
Antonia Dörnemann ,
University of Cologne, DE
Nika Boenisch,
University of Cologne, DE
Leonard Schommer,
University of Cologne, DE
Lara Winkelhorst,
University of Cologne, DE
Tobias Wingen
University of Cologne & Institute of General Practice and Family Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany, DE
Abstract
How do media reports about the Covid-19 pandemic influence our mood? Building on the social comparison theory, we predicted that reading negative news affecting a similar group would result in an impaired mood. In contrast, reading negative news about a dissimilar group should lead to an improved mood. To test this, 150 undergraduate students read positive or negative news about the well-being of a similar or dissimilar group during the pandemic. As predicted, a mood assimilation effect occurred for similar groups, whilst a contrast effect occurred for a dissimilar group. The findings suggest that media reports can have a strong impact on mood. The direction of these effects, however, seems to depend strongly on social comparison processes.
How to Cite:
Dörnemann, A., Boenisch, N., Schommer, L., Winkelhorst, L. and Wingen, T., 2022. How do Good and Bad News Impact Mood During the Covid-19 Pandemic? The Role of Similarity. Journal of European Psychology Students, 13(1), pp.107–116. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/jeps.566
Published on
22 Sep 2022.
Peer Reviewed
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