Headlines and Heartbeats

> Newspapers prefer optimistic headlines.

> Contrary to many a newsman's longstanding belief, optimistic headlines do not increase newspaper sales.

> Optimistic headlines induce civilian complacency.

These conclusions, announced in the current Public Opinion Quarterly, were reached after tests by two U.S. psychologists who, though they are brothers, were working separately--Harvard's Gordon W. Allport, 45. and Syracuse University's Floyd H. Allport, 53.

Harvard's Allport, helped by Elizabeth Winship, examined 3,226 headlines printed in a dozen representative papers between mid-August and mid-November, 1942--a period in which the good news of North Africa was balanced by grim news from other fronts. He found 1,918 of the headlines optimistic (U.S. FLEET ROUTS JAPS), only 703 pessimistic (MEATLESS DAYS LOOM) and 605 neutral (CONVOY STORY TOLD).

Next he compared headlines with circulation figures of seven dailies. He found that circulations varied, on days of good and bad news, by only 0.32%.

Syracuse's Allport meantime had gathered some 4,000 headlines, like his brother had found the majority optimistic. To determine how headlines make a reader feel about taking a more active part in the war, he and graduate student Milton Lepkin submitted them, one at a time, to 109 "average persons." From their recorded reactions he concluded that 1) the headlines that do the most to stimulate a civilian's will to win are those saying, in effect, U.S. LOSING; 2) headlines whose content is ENEMY LOSING produce the greatest degree of civilian lethargy.

Said Syracuse's Allport: "Words, no less than guns, are materials of war." His advice to editors: whenever possible to do so and still be truthful, they should print pessimistic headlines.

U.S. news executives were prompt to disagree with this academic handling of a practical problem. Said Edward T. Leech, editor of the Pittsburgh Press: "If we were to slant our news on the optimism or pessimism basis, we would then be propaganda sheets." Said Erwin D. Canham, managing editor of the Christian Science Monitor: "Headlines should be written [only] to reflect the news as accurately and graphically as possible."

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