I gotta feeling - the way our mood influences our media consumption

“Today was a sh** day, I need something funny” - we have all said something like that to our friends. But why do we choose comedy programs instead of heartbreaking love dramas when we are in a bad mood? According to researchers, the reason is very simple: Because we use media as a mood generator.

The so called “mood management approach” deals with the question in which way our vibe influences our media consumption. It is assumed that people select media content to improve their mood. Hedonism, the assumption that pleasure and desire are the highest values of life, is the supreme principle. By selecting certain media content, we regulate our state of arousal - namely by selecting content that creates positive vibes. Thereby, we aim to select media content which doesn’t arouse us too strongly or too weakly and which is especially similar to our own emotional condition.

Studies show that stress in daily life increases the consumption of comedy programs and decreases news intake. Besides, there are differences between men and women: Women select more positive media content when they are in a negative mood. Men, in contrast, rather choose negative media content like action and violence. There are even studies on media consumption and the selection of media content during pregnancy. According to those, the chosen media content varies depending on the trimester.

Now we may have explained to you why we choose different media content when we are in different moods. So if your friends are grumpy in the near future you can tell them exactly what is happening. However, it is doubtful that this is going to cheer them up ;-)

At any rate, we wish you a week full of positive energy! :-)

Lots of greetings from your alugha team!