The MUM effect refers to the robust research finding that people are more hesitant to share bad news relative to good news. An experiment utilized a false feedback test design to determine whether the MUM effect stems from a reluctance to share bad news, an eagerness to share good news, or both. Participants ( N = 114) shared good, neutral, or bad news (i.e., high, medium, or low test scores) to a stranger. News valence, delay before response, and reluctance were measured. Delay before response and reluctance were linearly related to test score suggesting both eagerness to share good news and reluctance to share bad news. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
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Dibble et al. (2010) studied this question.
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