The Anxiety Threshold: Exploring the Relationship Between Discrete Emotions and Information-seeking Repertoires During a Societal Crisis

Abstract

Appraisal theory suggests that emotions with similar valence can lead to distinct information-seeking behaviors during crises, driven by unique cognitive appraisals. Previous research has predominantly concentrated on the role of affective states, focusing largely on how much time individuals spend seeking information about a threat. However, this approach overlooks the potential impact of specific emotions on source preferences. This study examines the link between particular emotions and the source combinations people use to gather information about COVID-19. It hypothesizes that anxiety is linked to broad repertoires including a wide variety of sources, while anger is associated with narrow repertoires including fewer sources. RQs address the relationship with sadness and happiness. Employing multinomial regressions on latent classes, the findings show that both anger and anxiety are positively associated with broader source repertoires, while low levels of anxiety are linked to narrower repertoires. Sadness and happiness appear to have limited significance in this context. The results suggest an “anxiety threshold,” indicating that both low and high levels of anxiety can pose challenges for crisis communication.