Abstract
When public figures make announcements about their illness, audiences may be influenced to change their own health behaviors. However, if a disliked political figure becomes ill, feelings of schadenfreude, or pleasure at another’s misfortune, may arise and schadenfreude could predict news consumer’s information seeking and health-related intentions. Surveys of audience responses to news of conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s lung cancer diagnosis (N = 414) and to news of Republican Senator Rand Paul’s COVID-19 diagnosis (N = 407) found that such illness announcements can evoke schadenfreude, with schadenfreude associated with decreased willingness to undertake preventative health behaviors.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 135-155 |
| Number of pages | 21 |
| Journal | Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly |
| Volume | 99 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Mar 2022 |
UN SDGs
This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Communication
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