SS-12 Clickbait or not? How headlines and tone shape reading comprehension and social behavior

News headlines are often the first element readers encounter before engaging with an article. The initial impression created by headlines may be affected by various factors, including the choice of wording. For example, media outlets commonly use “clickbait,” where appealing titles are used to attract reader engagement. However, these headlines can mislead the reader as they may not be relevant to the article’s content. Previous research has indicated that headlines influence reading comprehension by directing readers' attention to specific aspects of the text. However, more research is needed to investigate how headlines and article contents interact to affect cognitive processes (e.g., reading comprehension) and social behaviors. This current study aimed to observe if there was a causal relationship between headline phrasing and article tone on reading comprehension and measures of reader perception of the article. In the experiment, college students were randomly assigned to read a news article written in a positive or negative tone, and the headline was either congruent or incongruent with the article’s tone. After reading the article, participants were presented with reading comprehension questions and behavioral items (e.g., would you share the article you just read?). It was hypothesized that an incongruent headline would negatively affect reading comprehension and reduce readers' likelihood of engaging in social behaviors related to the article. Implications from this research would suggest that misleading readers for engagement may have detrimental effects on people’s ability to understand content information. This is especially a problem when the content is important to society’s well-being.