There’s a calculated reason behind your anger after viewing content on social media, particularly X. Harvard researchers find that both platforms contain large volumes of emotionally charged content designed to provoke anger and outrage, which can shift policy preferences in significant ways. An analysis of 3 million tweets on X made by 1.4 million users between 2013 and 2025 “documents a sharp rise in emotionality in political discourse over time, with anger emerging as the domination emotion among both citizens and policymakers.” Content that generates anger also drives significantly more engagement and “exerts a much stronger influence on citizens’ policy views.”
