WEBVTT - Why Are People Mean on the Internet?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>Lauren volgelbah Here. Back in the day when brain Stuff

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<v Speaker 1>had a YouTube show, we got enough mean comments that

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<v Speaker 1>we once did a whole episode where we just read

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<v Speaker 1>them off. My favorite about me was when someone took

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<v Speaker 1>the time out of their one precious life to write

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<v Speaker 1>down and then post quote, your arms are crap and

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<v Speaker 1>so is your face, which I think is objectively funny.

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<v Speaker 1>But also, I'm just trying to talk about science on

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<v Speaker 1>the Internet. So even if that statement happened to be true,

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<v Speaker 1>isn't saying it to a fellow human person a little

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<v Speaker 1>uncalled for? Whether it's a social media app, a chat stream,

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<v Speaker 1>a comment section, or a message forum, the Internet seems

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<v Speaker 1>to be a magnet for nasty comments, partially because few

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<v Speaker 1>result in real world consequences. But why are people so

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<v Speaker 1>mean on the Internet. The route, it seems, may lie

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<v Speaker 1>deep within the human psyche. The majority of our communication

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<v Speaker 1>is nonverbal, composed of body language, eye contact, speech tone,

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<v Speaker 1>and language patterns. Without this information to help us process

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<v Speaker 1>and categorize information, our minds are left to sort through

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<v Speaker 1>the uncertain, and, thanks to a leftover prehistoric pensiant for

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<v Speaker 1>fight or flight. Being unsure about another person's intent often

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<v Speaker 1>creates a negative reaction to a perceived threat. Also, by

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<v Speaker 1>continually presenting only our curated best selves online and reaping

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<v Speaker 1>the emotional benefits of lots of likes or up votes

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<v Speaker 1>or what have you, psychologists say our self esteem may

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<v Speaker 1>bloom disproportionately and negatively impact our self control. The result,

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<v Speaker 1>we may feel entitled to be mean. Experts also posit

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<v Speaker 1>that people may actually forget that they're speaking out loud

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<v Speaker 1>when they post a snarky comment. Writing something from a

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<v Speaker 1>smartphone almost seems like you're talking to yourself. It may

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<v Speaker 1>be especially hard for people to remember that there are

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<v Speaker 1>real humans behind popular or professional accounts. This entitlement or

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<v Speaker 1>lack of inhibition may also be connected to the physical

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<v Speaker 1>distance from the people to whom those comments are directed.

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<v Speaker 1>Research has shown that the closer the physical proximity you

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<v Speaker 1>have to someone, the less likely you are to be

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<v Speaker 1>mean spirited. For example, one study found that game show

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<v Speaker 1>contestants we're less likely to vote off a contestant standing

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<v Speaker 1>next to them than one standing further away. And this

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<v Speaker 1>meanness affects more than just our online lives. Being unpleasant

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<v Speaker 1>in a virtual world can spill over into real life,

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<v Speaker 1>resulting in an increase in aggressive communication with coworkers, family members,

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<v Speaker 1>and friends, causing damage to relationships that must later be repaired.

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<v Speaker 1>While being unkind online can temporarily boost self esteem, it's

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<v Speaker 1>a short lived high. A lasting self esteem is correlated

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<v Speaker 1>with things like setting and achieving goals and forming meaningful

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<v Speaker 1>connections within a group. Still, the internet seems to attract

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<v Speaker 1>comments that people wouldn't dare express publicly in three dimensions,

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<v Speaker 1>especially when it comes to hot topics such as gender

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<v Speaker 1>expression or gun rights. But what can you do if

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<v Speaker 1>you become a target. Many online publications now require commenters

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<v Speaker 1>to register and provide a valid email address in order

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<v Speaker 1>to put the brakes on trolls, that is, posters who

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<v Speaker 1>intentionally comment producatively to get a rise out of others,

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<v Speaker 1>But whether it actually makes a difference is debatable. Back

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<v Speaker 1>in two thousand and seven, South Korea mandated that all

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<v Speaker 1>websites with more than one hundred thousand users had to

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<v Speaker 1>require them to enter their real names as well as

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<v Speaker 1>input personal information at registration, in an effort to reduce

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<v Speaker 1>abuse of comments. This law wound up being scrapped because

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<v Speaker 1>negative comments only declined by zero point nine percent in

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<v Speaker 1>the following year, and adding identifying info left people more

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<v Speaker 1>vulnerable to hacking. On a more personal level, one of

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<v Speaker 1>the most effective strategies for diffusing heated situations is to

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<v Speaker 1>give yourself a time out. Take a few minutes or

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<v Speaker 1>hours to cool off before you reply, and when you do,

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<v Speaker 1>stay calm. Just ask the person to stop, or go

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<v Speaker 1>straight to blocking them and or reporting their behavior to

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<v Speaker 1>the powers that be in that corner of the internet.

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<v Speaker 1>Don't respond to negative comments with negativity of your own.

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<v Speaker 1>If you find it difficult to resist a retort, There's

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes the option of disabling comments altogether. If threats seem

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<v Speaker 1>likely to escalate and spill over into real life, make

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<v Speaker 1>a police report. Even in jurisdictions that don't have specific

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<v Speaker 1>laws against online harassment, wider anti harassment laws may apply

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<v Speaker 1>a document the scope and depth of the behavior. Of course,

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<v Speaker 1>pursuing any kind of legal action is most effective if

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<v Speaker 1>you haven't thrown any gasoline on the fire. It can

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<v Speaker 1>be infuriating when someone treats you rudely, but you always

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<v Speaker 1>have the option to leave it alone. Is it worth

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<v Speaker 1>the mental energy to even dignify it with a response.

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<v Speaker 1>As with all interactions with difficult people, it helps to

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<v Speaker 1>remember the source. People who are lashing out usually have

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<v Speaker 1>troubles of their own and are simply looking to exert

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<v Speaker 1>control or discomfort, all in an effort to make themselves

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<v Speaker 1>feel a bit better. What I tried to take from

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<v Speaker 1>my time on YouTube is that those people who commented

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<v Speaker 1>about my arms or whatever don't know me. They saw

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<v Speaker 1>a version of past me who went into a studio

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<v Speaker 1>and made a video one time, and whatever they think

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<v Speaker 1>of her, it has nothing to do with me, with

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<v Speaker 1>my full being, and probably a lot to do with

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<v Speaker 1>their own state of mind. Of course, mental health is

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<v Speaker 1>really complicated and something that a lot of people struggle with,

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<v Speaker 1>especially in stressful or uncertain times, and our brains are

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<v Speaker 1>somewhat wired toward negativity, both to give it and to

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<v Speaker 1>remember it. Prehistorically speaking, it was more important to remember

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<v Speaker 1>to avoid the threatening tiger than to remember to approach

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<v Speaker 1>a friendly dog. If you catch yourself frequently lashing out

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<v Speaker 1>online or otherwise getting stuck in negative thought loops, consider

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<v Speaker 1>talking to a healthcare professional about it. The world can

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<v Speaker 1>be really rough, but spreading negativity externally or internally isn't

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<v Speaker 1>going to make it better. Navigating mental health is an

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<v Speaker 1>individual venture. Depending on the situation, Experts recommend everything from

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<v Speaker 1>exercise to talk therapy, to medication to just trying to

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<v Speaker 1>remember to approach the friendly dog. By recognizing nice things

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<v Speaker 1>that happen, finishing a project or chore, seeing a cool

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<v Speaker 1>bug or rock, or having a good interaction with a

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<v Speaker 1>friend or stranger, you can sometimes overshadow negativity and sometimes

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<v Speaker 1>train your brain to seek out more positive rewards. Today's

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<v Speaker 1>episode is based on the art Is There a Psychological

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<v Speaker 1>Reason for People Being Mean? On the Internet? On how

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<v Speaker 1>stuffworks dot Com, written by Julia Layton. Brain Stuff is

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<v Speaker 1>a production of by Heart Radio in partnership with how

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<v Speaker 1>Stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. But

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