Negative ads work in political arena. It is not a hypothesis. It is a fact. You don't have to look far - Prime Minister Harper has won 3 successive federal elections due to it. In all these elections, he didn't focus on what he will do but trained his guns on his opponent. Often times the stuff he was bringing up was all far fetched fabrications, yet he still won.
Liberal's BC win is another example of why negative campaigning works
Toronto Star's vendetta against Toronto Mayor and Councillor Fords is also leveraging our baser instincts.
But lets not look at the political arena how about our private households or the social scene at the office. Does not gossiping always find attentive ears.
Perhaps the reason why gossiping is so popular, negative political ads are so effective and malicious news stories sell is because we as humans are creatures focusing on flaws. If there would have been more people focusing on the positives, we should be seeing more positive ads. If we would focus on facts, then rumors will not be finding any legs to travel (or wings to fly). What is it in us that tends to always get attracted to the meanest instincts. Mind you we always condemn it. We always complain that (other) people should stop doing it. But this holier than thou attitude is yet another example that we are primarily attracted to negative or base emotions
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