Principle 5: Practical Value How can we craft content that seems useful?

Just like inspiring things, or those that make us angry, funny content is shared because amusement is a high-arousal emotion.

Diminishing sensitivity reflects the idea that the same change has a smaller impact the farther it is from the reference point.

Every day, the average American engages in more than sixteen word-of-mouth episodes, separate conversations where they say something positive or negative about an organization, brand, product, or service.

But game mechanics also motivate us on an interpersonal level by encouraging social comparison.

One way to generate surprise is by breaking a pattern people have come to expect.

As we expected, both characteristics influenced sharing. More interesting articles were 25 percent more likely to make the Most E-Mailed list. More useful articles were 30 percent more likely to make the list.

GENERATING WORD OF MOUTH

People are also less likely to argue against stories than against advertising claims.