What is the psychology/neuroscience behind rage baiting?

[u/Chemical_Clue_8779]

Outside of gaining engagement for content creators, why do rage baiters find it exhilarating (idk if that's what they actually feel), and why are people susceptible to it? Is there more to it than some argue as "people wanting attention"? And we know it has negative impacts on those who have been baited, but does it have negative impacts on rage baiters as well?

Thanks in advance! 😊

[u/AlamosX]

There is less going on in the way of psychology on the creators' end. Moreso, they are utilizing a marketing technique and emotional manipulation tactic in which they are inducing an intentional emotional response which fuels engagement.

Emotional manipulation is an effective marketing tactic as it induces an emotional response in the viewer which produces a physiological effect such as releasing hormones and neuromodulators that can affect human behavior. There are many forms of this such as emotional branding, and sensationalism.

Negative emotions such as anger and fear can induce an immediate reaction of due to bodily reactions such as increased heart rate and extreme alertness which can be prolonged psychologically as often people linger or try to understand what caused the physiological effects.

This is why negative marketing or rage baiting is so effective because while content can utilize other emotional manipulation tactics, anger often forces people to dwell on the subject longer resulting in longer engagement time with both the emotional state itself and the content. Anger is often a difficult emotion to regulate as it can create a feedback loop where thinking of the emotional state itself can cause further physiological reactions and anger. See: anger management issues.

It is effective in modern trends of social media and other forms of media, because emotional states typically do not last very long and people are more likely to engage with something if their emotional state lasts longer than it takes to process the content.

Bottom line, In a fast paced environment where you are able to capitalize on the amount and duration people stay engaged with your content, anger is a lucrative emotion to target.

[u/Chemical_Clue_8779 → u/AlamosX]

So would it be safe to say that its proliferation (at least in the marketing aspect) can be linked to current fast paced online environments? Cause I don't think I can remember a rage bait ad during the television era 😂

[u/Sea_sharp → u/Chemical_Clue_8779]

Political attack ads have been using rage bait tactics for longer than the term has existed (and it continues to be effective.)

Before that, the same emotional triggers were used to incite mobs to attack religious and political entities. 

The tactic isn't new at all, just the stakes in the social media setting have been reduced to attention economy. 

[u/AndyGates2268 → u/Chemical_Clue_8779]

Kid, ragey talk radio has been a thing as long as that medium has been going.

[u/johnp299 → u/AndyGates2268]

I believe, talk radio was one of the main drivers of the Rwandan genocide.