Good News Travels Faster Than Bad On Social Networks [RESEARCH]

Especially on social networks. So says Jonah Berger, a social psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania and author of new book (and recent SXSW talk), Contagious: Why Things Catch On.

Berger and his Penn colleague Katherine Milkman dove into people’s social networking habits, analyzing the types of content people share most, with whom, when, and why. The results are pretty fascinating.

Here are the major takeaways from Berger’s research:

The more positive an article, the more likely it is to be shared

As the New York Times writes of Berger’s findings, “Debbie Downer is apparently no match for Polly Positive, at least among Times readers.”

Berger