For an Internet marketer, it is an inherent goal for their posts, emails and other contents to be actively shared by readers and recipients with other people. These, however, have to contain certain emotions in order to be shared as actively as we want. This is the gist of an article written by Courtney Seiter for Buffer.

The four basic emotions

Seiter cites a study conducted by the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow, which says there are actually only four “basic” emotions: happy, sad, afraid/surprised, and angry/disgusted. And these emotions, according to Seiter, have to be present in posts and emails for people to actually share them to their friends.

Happiness, for its part, is already a main driver for social sharing. The more positive the content, the more likely it is going to become viral. Sadness, however, also triggers sharing as it helps us connect and empathise. Fear/surprise, meanwhile, make us desperate for something to cling to, as well us feel a greater attachment to any given brand. Lastly, there’s anger/disgust, both negative emotions that are positively associated with virality.

Click here to read the full article.