Study Reveals What Makes People Share Online

By Sheikh Aqib Farooq

The average internet user today spends nearly three hours a day scrolling, liking and sharing on social media. In this digital era, platforms like Instagram, X, Facebook and TikTok have become powerful tools for communication, shaping opinions and influencing public behavior. Whether it’s health advisories during a pandemic, campaigns on climate change or drives to increase voter participation, social media has emerged as a frontline channel for sharing vital information. But what exactly makes a piece of content so compelling that people feel the need to share it?

A new study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, led by University of Pennsylvania researchers Danielle Cosme and Emily Falk, attempts to answer that question. Their research, involving more than 3,000 participants, explores the psychology behind what makes information go viral. The conclusion, they found, is surprisingly intuitive: people share content that feels meaningful either personally or socially.

Cosme and her team describe this phenomenon as value-based virality, the idea that content spreads online because individuals perceive it to have inherent value, whether for themselves or for their communities. This insight, they argue, holds tremendous potential for improving how public messages are designed, especially when it comes to issues like public health, climate awareness and social welfare.

Knowing the psychological ingredients that make people share information can help us communicate more effectively about things that truly matter, said Cosme, who serves as research director at the Annenberg School for Communication’s Communication Neuroscience Lab. Her findings suggest that people are far more likely to engage with and distribute information they feel relates directly to their lives or the people they care about.

Humans are wired for connection. Sharing information not only serves a practical purpose but also activates the brain’s reward centers, giving people a sense of satisfaction and belonging. In other words, sharing feels good, especially when the message resonates with one’s sense of identity or social group. This dual focus on self-relevance and social relevance forms the psychological backbone of virality.

In their experiments, participants were shown articles and social media posts on diverse topics such as health, climate change, COVID-19 precautions and voting. Some read headlines and summaries of news articles, while others viewed social media posts. Each participant then rated how relevant the content felt to them personally and how likely they would be to share it.

The results were consistent across all themes: people were most likely to share messages they found either self-relevant or socially relevant. Interestingly, when participants were asked to explicitly articulate why a message mattered to them or to someone they knew, their willingness to share increased even further. This suggests that reflection, actively thinking about why something matters, can amplify one’s motivation to share it.

Sharing information is a critical component of both individual and collective action, Cosme noted. At the beginning of the pandemic, spreading accurate information about safety measures helped people protect themselves and others. Information that travels quickly through social networks can shape not just personal choices but also collective behavior by influencing what people view as normal or acceptable.

The implications of this research reach far beyond social media metrics. Cosme and Falk’s team, working with data from tens of thousands of messages, believe their findings could revolutionize how institutions from public health agencies to environmental groups design digital campaigns.

Falk, the study’s senior author, emphasizes that the next step is applying these insights in real-world contexts. We’re looking at how psychological theory can translate into practical interventions that encourage positive behavior change, she explained. Their lab has even developed message frames, templates that can make any content feel more self- or socially relevant without changing the core message itself. These framing techniques, Falk says, could easily be tested in various communication campaigns.

The Communication Neuroscience Lab is now taking the research further, using fMRI scans to study how the brain processes self- and social relevance when people encounter online content. By mapping which brain regions light up during sharing decisions, the researchers hope to better understand the neural foundations of digital engagement.

Ultimately, Cosme and Falk believe that understanding the psychology of sharing could help shape a more informed, connected and proactive society. Big issues require collective action, Cosme said. Spreading accurate information empowers individuals to come together and make meaningful change.

Falk agrees. This study highlights the psychological ingredients that motivate people to share messages about issues that affect our collective well-being, she said. When people share, they don’t just pass along information, they help shape cultural norms and inspire action. Sharing is more than a click; it’s a powerful act of participation.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or views of this newspaper