Breaking News: Old People Love Misery, Hate Young People

**Acturus** · 2010-09-02 10:02

I was scanning headlines and came across this. It was too funny not to post:

http://www.latimes.com/health/booste...tory?track=rss

Older people may get a self-esteem boost by reading negative stories about younger people
6:20 PM PDT, August 31, 2010

Show of hands -- who loves schadenfreude?

People over 50 seem to, according to a new study that shows older people prefer reading negative news over positive news about younger people.

The study of German volunteers included 178 people ages 18 to 30 and 98 people ages 50 to 65. They browsed articles in what they were told was an experimental version of a new online magazine.

The random mix of fake stories focused on one person who was older or younger, and there were two versions of each story -- one positive and one negative. One positive headline, for example, read, "Patient awarded 250,000 Euro in malpractice lawsuit," while the flip-side version read, "Brain-damaged patient loses appeal -- Lack of malpractice evidence forces patient to pay back 250,000 Euro." The stories were accompanied by a photo of the person mentioned in the story, so their approximate age was clear.

Researchers noted which stories the study participants read and how long they spent reading.

Older people were more likely to choose negative stories about younger people, while younger people preferred reading positive stories about their peers. Older people were split when it came to reading positive and negative stories about their own age group. Younger people didn't show much interest in reading about older people.

Older people didn't just like reading negative stories about younger people, they also got a self-esteem boost out of it -- the more negative stories they read, the higher their self-esteem. Younger people, however, showed no changes in self-worth despite reading more positive stories about their peers.

The study appears in the September issue of the Journal of Communication.

So remember, when you get older, start paying attention to all of the bad news affecting the younger generation. You'll feel better.

**Alleya** · 2010-09-02 10:23

This explains why comics made by people over 50 always involves THEM DAMN YOUTHS AND THEIR TECHNAMOLOGIES

**Fhqwghads** · 2010-09-02 10:47

Just remember kids: STAY OFF MY DAMN LAWN.

**Draylo** · 2010-09-02 10:51

People love misery in general.

**Eratosthenes** · 2010-09-02 11:27

I thought this would be from The Onion.

**Acturus** · 2010-09-02 12:05

Originally Posted by Eratosthenes

I thought this would be from The Onion.

Nope, this is -actual- news.

**Kuya** · 2010-09-02 13:47

So old people resent young people. Nice.

**Silviya** · 2010-09-02 14:39

Anyone who spends time around old people already knows this.

**bigrougabagel** · 2010-09-02 15:27

Originally Posted by Eratosthenes

I thought this would be from The Onion.

speaking of the onion, have you ever read the retarded cartoon strip they have? This article describes that guy to a T. I can recall one cartoon within the last few months that involved him complaining about not being able to rent a VHS at blockbuster anymore.

**Mizango** · 2010-09-02 15:32

Originally Posted by bigrougabagel

speaking of the onion, have you ever read the retarded cartoon strip they have? This article describes that guy to a T. I can recall one cartoon within the last few months that involved him complaining about not being able to rent a VHS at blockbuster anymore.

lol

**bigrougabagel** · 2010-09-02 21:52

Seriously. This is amazing, and I must be getting trolled. Also, too lazy to host these somewhere. Some of these are old, historical context etc etc.

Spoiler: show

and ok, it was 2 years not 2 months, but hell. Please tell me I am being trolled, anyone who has the patience to sift through that bullshit i threw together.

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