Why Am I Checking FiveThirtyEight Before the Polls Even Close?
The answer, as you might have suspected, lies in human psychology — and is nicely stated in Bethany Albertson and Shana Kushner Gadarian’s recent book, “Anxious Politics.” People don’t like uncertainty and the emotional arousal that comes with it. And one way that we cope with uncertainty is by seeking out new information. Now if our uncertainty is about whether there’s a lion behind a cluster of trees, seeking out new information seems like a winning strategy. But if we’re anxious about an election outcome, the information we’re seeking might not be out there quite yet. As Albertson and Gadarian write, “although individuals seek information in the pursuit of lowering anxiety, the information that they are attracted to may not help them accomplish this goal.” So keep reading …