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The psychology of Internet rage
Have you ever noticed that you tend to get a lot angrier on the road with other drivers than you do with people in the rest of your life? To a large degree, the experience of road rage is universal, and can be explained by the emotional distance that is created between drivers when there is both physical separation and a high potential for perceived slights and wrongdoing. The relative anonymity of driving leads to an exaggerated emotional response when feeling slighted or threatened, in part because all you may know of the other driver is that he or she just cut you off. It makes sense that you might react more angrily in that situation than if the same interaction occurred in another real-life setting.
Now if you accept the premise that separation and relative anonymity increase the potential for rage, imagine what the anonymity and dehumanization of the Internet does to virtual interactions. It is well documented that online comment sections too often become a hub for threats, heated arguments, and name calling.
Let’s explore why this might happen.
In 2016, FiveThirtyEight.com performed an extensive survey of 8,500 commenters to better understand the nature of their behavior. It found that commenters tended to be younger than 40 and predominantly male. Commenters also stated that they commented primarily in order to correct an error, add to the discussion, give their personal perspectives, and represent their views. Less often, they were trying to be funny, praise content, ask a question to learn, or share their own thoughts. So, we can acknowledge that there is a certain self-selection in the Internet commentary world that will lead to many comments being oppositional, even if most readers do not perceive the article this way.
But why do online commenters so often seem rageful in their opposition?
One explanation begins with the knowledge that the content most likely to elicit impassioned responses is on the very subjects that people feel affect them personally. The majority of Internet commenters know something about the topics being discussed, and often their personal experience does not align with the viewpoint of the author. Put another way, they may feel that this firsthand experience makes them more knowledgeable than the author, while the author may only have theoretical experience or none at all. Because commenters so often identify personally with the topic for this reason, the magnitude of their emotional response can be amplified, sometimes leading to stronger language than they would use in the real world. This is the case even when topics are written by so-called experts. This may be attributed to a principle in psychology known as the “backfire effect” — that is, people often become counterintuitively more entrenched in their position when presented with data that conflicts with their beliefs.
Even when commenters read entire articles, hostile comments are often formed out of defiance rather than ignorance of evidence presented by the author. The Dunning-Kruger effect may be at play here. This principle states that a person’s perception of what they have read and the content they’ve actually read often do not align well. In other words, a person may read an article whose focus is on one area, but become attentionally derailed by a strong emotional response provoked early in the piece. The provocative nature of Internet headlines are in fact designed to elicit such emotional responses in order to gain additional page views. One result is that many readers come away very quickly feeling attacked or misrepresented by information when that was not necessarily the article’s objective or focus. With the inherent anonymity and seclusion of Internet use, it is not hard to see how reasonable online decorum so often fails to hold under such circumstances.
There is little that you as an individual can do about the nature of the Internet, but you can choose how you interact with it. Good mental health around Internet use likely revolves around limiting your use to content arenas that promote your best self by allowing you to be productive and enjoy the time you spend on the web. If sites or posts seem to make you rageful, it may not be worth continuing to engage in this way. This is one aspect of online interactions where you have a lot of control.
注释：
Rage：v; n
1) 动词表示“肆虐；迅速蔓延；快速扩散”，means “You say that something powerful or unpleasant rages when it continues with great force or violence.”如：He disappears quickly as the gale continues to rage. 就在大风肆虐时，他很快消失了。
2) 动词表示“大发脾气”， means " show violent anger". 如：You are not yourself when you rage like that. 你那样大发雷霆有点失常。
3）名词表示“（一阵）盛怒；（一阵）狂怒；（一阵）暴怒”，means “(a period of) extreme or violent anger”如：I was gnashing my teeth with rage. 我咬牙切齿愤怒已极。
相关短语：
be (all) the rage表示“风靡一时，非常时兴，十分流行”（to be very popular at a particular time），如：During our teenage years, tanning was all the rage. 在我们十几岁的时候，人人都疯狂地去美黑。Miniskirts are all the rage, at least among girls who can wear them. 超短裙至少在能穿它们的姑娘们中间非常流行。
Rageful：adj
表示“狂怒的；怒不可遏的”, means “full of anger or rage“。
road rage：n
表示“公路暴怒，路怒；公路暴力（指司机之间常因恶劣的驾驶条件而动怒或诉诸暴力）”，means “anger or violence between drivers, often caused by difficult driving conditions”如：Road rage is the unhelpful behavior that occurs with a strong feeling of anger when someone else in the road system does something that you don't want them to do.
universal
表示“普遍的；全体的；共同的”，means “existing everywhere or involving everyone”如：Overpopulation is a universal problem. 人口过多是全球性的问题。
Perceive：v
1）表示“感知，察觉，注意到，意识到”，means “to see something or someone, or to notice something that is obvious”如：I plainly perceive some objections remain. 我清楚地察觉到还有一些反对意见。
2）表示“认为；看待；视为”，means “to come to an opinion about something, or have a belief about something”如：Adults learn what they perceive to be useful in their life situations. 成人们学习他们认为对其生活情境有帮助的东西。Scarcity is a trait of many things that are perceived to have value. 稀缺性正是许多被视为有价值的事物共有的特征。
Slight: adj; v: n
1) 作形容词，比较熟悉表示“少量的，微小的”，means “small in amount or degree”如：He has a slight wheeze in his chest. 他呼吸时胸部发出轻微的响声。
2) 作动词，表示“轻视，冷落；怠慢”，means “to insult someone by ignoring them or treating them as if not important”如：We shouldn't slight anybody even if he's a nobody. 我们不应该轻视任何人，即使他是一个小人物。
3) 作名词，表示“轻视；冷落”，means “an action that insults a person because someone fails to pay attention to them or to treat them with the respect that they deserve”如：I was hurt by the obvious slight. 这种明显的怠慢伤害了我的感情。
Wrongdoing: n
表示“违法行为；不道德行为；做坏事；违法犯罪”，means “a bad or an illegal action”如：The thief made a trembling confession of his wrongdoing. 小偷颤抖着交代了自己干的坏事。
Anonymity: n
表示“匿名；无名；不公开姓名”，means “the situation in which someone's name is not given or known”如：Except there is that nagging question of anonymity. 而唯一留存的就是那个老生常谈的问题：匿名性。
Exaggerate: v
表示“夸张；夸大；对…言过其实”，means “to make something seem larger, more important, better, or worse than it really is”如：Don't exaggerate the parallelism between the two cases. 不要夸大那两件事的相似性。
Premise: n
表示“前提；假定”，means “a statement or an idea that forms the basis for a reasonable line of argument”，如：We must act on the premise that the worst can happen. 我们必须在可能发生最坏事态的前提下行动。
Dehumanization: n
表示“去人性化；非人化；非人性化”，means “the process of depriving a person or group of positive human qualities.”如：Both absolute power and absolute faith are instruments of dehumanization. 绝对的权力与绝对的信仰都是灭绝人性的工具。
well-documented：adj
表示“有大量文件记载的；书面证据充分的；显而易见的”，means “having been often recorded”如：Causes of the disease have been well documented. 这种疾病的起因已有完备的记载。
Hub: n
1）表示“（某地/活动）中心，枢纽，核心”， means "a center of activity or interest or commerce or transportation"。如：That restaurant has served as a hub of the community for decades. 几十年来，这个饭店一直是社区居民交流的中心。Bilibili, an online hub for fans of comics and games. 哔哩哔哩，是漫画和游戏的线上中心。
2）表示“轮毂”，means "the central part of a car wheel (or fan or propeller etc) through which the shaft or axle passes" .如：Two new spokes and a hub must be made. 我必须重新做两根轮辐和一个轮毂。
name-calling：adj
表示“辱骂，骂人”，means “the act of insulting someone by calling them rude names”.如：The debate was marred by a brief lapse into unpleasant name calling. 因出现几句谩骂，辩论会不欢而散。In disagreement, flight fairly. No name calling. 争论的时候，直言相对，但千万别骂人。
Predominantly：adv
表示“占主导地位地；占绝大多数地；显着地”，means “mostly or mainly”，如：In old China, family heads were predominantly men. 旧中国，绝大多数家庭由男人当家。
Oppositional: adj
1）表示“对立的”，means “relating to or based on one group opposing another”如：The relationship between give-way and stand-on vessels should be harmonious and co-operative rather than antagonistic and oppositional. 让路船和直航船之间是一种和谐的合作关系，不是对抗的敌对关系。
2）表示“拒绝听从指挥的”，means “refusing to obey instructions or to do what people want you to do”如：He is not just being oppositional for no reason. 他并不是无缘无故地不听话。
Elicit：v
表示“引出，探出，诱出（尤指信息或反应）”，means “to get or produce something, especially information or a reaction”如：The detectives tried to elicit where he had hidden his loot. 侦探试图诱使他说出他藏匿赃物的地方。I could elicit no response from him. 我从他那里套不出任何反应。
Impassioned: adj
表示“充满激情的；热烈的”，means “showing strong feelings about sth”如：He made an impassioned speech in our school. 他在我们学校做了一次慷慨激昂的演讲。
He kept this impassioned doings a secret almost from himself。他把他这种感情热烈的行动保守得极秘密，几乎连对自己都不泄露。
Align：v
1）表示“排整齐；校准；（尤指）使成一条直线”，means “to arrange sth in the correct position, or to be in the correct position, in relation to sth else, especially in a straight line”如：The iron flings align themselves in the direction of the magnetic field. 铁屑按磁场的方向排列。
2）表示“使一致”，means “to change sth slightly so that it is in the correct relationship to sth else”如：Our company should align ourselves with theirs. 我们的公司必须与他们的公司合作。
Firsthand: adj; adv
表示“第一手地；直接地”，means “If you experience something firsthand, you experience it yourself.”如：He have a firsthand taste of life in backward mountainous area. 他直接体验过落后山区的生活。I learned the news about her mother's illness firsthand from Lena. 我直接从丽娜那里了解到她母亲生病的消息。
Theoretical: adj
表示“理论上的；纯理论的”，means “based on the ideas that relate to a subject, not the practical uses of that subject”如：These findings have both theoretical and practical applications. 这些发现具有理论和实际的应用。
Magnitude: n
表示“（尺寸、规模、重要性等）大的程度；巨大；重大，重要性”，means “the large size or importance of something”如：I want to know the magnitude of this equipment. 我想知道这个设备的大小。The magnitude of the epidemic was frightening. 这种流行病传播范围之广令人惶惶不安。
Amplify: v
表示“增强，放大”，means “To amplify something means to increase its strength or intensity.”如：We must amplify our effort by working a lot harder. 我们必须更努力地工作来扩大成果。
Principle: n
1）表示“原理；原则”，means “a basic idea or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works”如：A bicycle and a motorcycle are built on the same principle. 自行车和摩托车是根据同样的原理制造的。
2）表示“（行为）准则；道德；为人之道”，means “a moral rule or standard of good behavior”如：We adhere to the principle that everyone should be treated fairly. 我们坚持人人都应该被平等对待这一原则。
the backfire effect: n
表示“逆火效应”（当一个错误的信息被更正后，如果更正的信息与人原本的看法相违背，它反而会加深人们对这条（原本）错误的信息的信任）, means “the tendency of some people to resist accepting evidence that conflicts with their beliefs. The effect is demonstrated when people presented with that conflicting information become even more convinced of their original beliefs rather than questioning them.
backfire
1）表示“（引擎）发生回火”，means “(of an engine) to make a loud noise as a result of fuel burning too early”如：The car/engine backfired noisily. 那汽车[发动机]发生逆火引起爆鸣。
2）表示“事与愿违，（计划或行动）发生意外，产生事与愿违的结果”，means “if a plan or action backfires, it has the opposite effect to the one you intended”，如：Even our most carefully laid plans may backfire. 甚至我们的最周密安排的计划也可能产生适得其反的结果。
Listen to me, listen to me, this is a circus, it's gonna backfire. 听我说，这有些儿戏了，会适得其反的。
Counterintuitive: adj
表示“（想法、提议等）违反常理的，违反直觉的”，means “(of an idea, proposal, etc) seemingly contrary to common sense”；如：That seems counterintuitive, which makes it a common mistake.这是常见的错误，看起来是违反直觉的。
a) intuitive表示“（出于）直觉的”（an intuitive idea is based on a feeling rather than on knowledge or facts），
b) 前缀counter-表示“（用于构词）表示相反或相对”（Counter- is used to form words which refer to actions or activities that are intended to prevent other actions or activities or that respond to them.）如：counteraction 反动；抵抗 counterforce 反作用力, counterego 反向自我, countertrend (与另一倾向相反的)逆倾向，countermeasure 对策。
近义词辨析：
instinctive表示“本能的；天性的；”（based on instinct and not involving thought）
intuitive: 表示“直觉的”（obtained through intuition rather than from reasoning or observation）
entrenched：adj
表示“牢固确立的；根深蒂固的；积重难返的”，means “Entrenched ideas are so fixed or have existed for so long that they cannot be changed.”如：She is entrenched in her right-wing views. 她的右翼观点根深蒂固。
The tide is with the entrenched mindset, with values that are still unexamined 他们固步自封 抱残守缺 坚守着未经证实的价值观。
Defiance: n
表示“蔑视；违抗；挑衅, means "defiant behavior or a defiant manner; open disobedience". 如：Those who bid defiance to the law will get into trouble.蔑视法律者终要倒霉。North Korea's defiance makes these delicate missions both more difficult and more necessary.朝鲜公然挑衅使得这次棘手的外交使命更加困难也更有必要。
Dunning-Kruger effect
表示“达克效应"（邓宁-克鲁格效应），指的是能力欠缺的人在自己欠考虑的决定的基础上得出错误结论。（越聪明的人反而觉得自己越愚蠢，越愚蠢的人反而会觉得自己越聪明。）
1999年，心理学家邓宁和克鲁格在论文《论无法正确认识能力不足如何导致过高自我评价》中做了一项研究：在一群大学生中，做不同的测试，然后让他们做出自我评价。结果显示，测试成绩最差的那群人，反而认为自己名列前茅。这种现象，后来就被称为邓宁-克鲁格效应。means "a cognitive bias in which people believe that they are smarter and more capable than they really are“。
Perception: n
1）表示“认识，观念，看法”，means “a belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem”如：The public's perception of him is slowly changing. 公众对他的观念正在慢慢地发生变化。
2）表示“知觉；感知”，means “the way you notice things, especially with the senses”如：His analysis of the problem showed great perception. 他对该问题的分析显示出敏锐的洞察力。He has wonderful depth perception 他的深度感知力很好。
Derail: v
1）表示“打乱（原定计划）；阻挠”，means “To derail something such as a plan or a series of negotiations means to prevent it from continuing as planned.”如：The move could derail Chrysler's plans for a swift exit from bankruptcy proceedings. T L reports. 这一决定大大阻碍了克莱斯勒走出破产保护程序的步伐。but the allegations alone could derail the peace process. 但光这谣言就能破坏和谈进程。
2）表示“脱轨”，means “If a train is derailed or if it derails, it comes off the track on which it is running.”如：The market's job is to derail the systems traders. 市场工作就是让系统交易者出轨。How could a pick-up truck derail a train? That's impossible. 一辆卡车怎么能让整个火车脱轨 不可能啊。
Provoke : v
1）表示“激起，引起”，means “to cause a reaction or feeling, especially a sudden one”，如：Such a questionable assertion is sure to provoke criticism. 这种有问题的主张肯定会招致非议。
2）表示“激怒，挑衅”，means “to make or try to make a person or an animal angry”如：If you provoke the dog, he may bite you. 你如果激怒了这条狗，它可能会咬你。
Provocative: adj
1）表示“（通常指故意地）使人生气的，挑衅的，煽动的”，means “If you describe something as provocative, you mean that it is intended to make people react angrily or argue against it.”如：She said nothing particularly provocative. 她没有说过特别够刺激性的活。
2）表示“引发思考的，启发性的”，means “causing thought about interesting subjects”如：provocative background 诱发环境
Misrepresent: v
表示“不如实地叙述（或说明）；误传；歪曲；诈称”，means “to describe falsely an idea, opinion, or situation, often in order to get an advantage”如: If you misrepresent what's in the plan, we will call you out. 如果有人再恶意歪曲解读这个计划，我们会直接批评你。
Inherent: adj
表示“内在的；固有的，生来就有的”，means “existing as a natural or basic part of something”如：The desire for freedom is inherent in us all. 渴望自由是我们大家生来就有的愿望。
Seclusion: n
表示“清静；隐居；与世隔绝；退隐”，means “the state of being alone, away from other people”如：The jury arrives at its verdict in the seclusion of the jury room. 陪审团在隔离的评议室里作出裁定
Decorum: n
表示“礼貌得体；稳重，端庄”，means “behaviour that is controlled, calm, and polite”如：I hope you will behave with decorum at the funeral. 我们希望你在葬礼上做到得体有礼。
revolve around sb/sth
表示“围绕 ... 旋转；以 ... 为中心”， means " move around in a circular motion; center upon". 如：Their troubles revolve around money management. 他们的麻烦围绕在金钱处理上。
Arena：n
表示“（体育比赛或表演用的）场地，竞技场，剧场；斗争场所；竞争舞台；活动场所”，means “a large, flat area surrounded by seats used for sports or entertainment”如：The arena was crowded with thousands of spectators. 竞技场中挤满了数千名观众。
P.S. 这么长，您居然已读到此处... 相信您一定喜欢阅读《外刊精选》。斗胆猜测您一定是“精英”或正在走向“精英”的路上( 后续文章会解释“精英”）。鉴于后期严选，您可直接在文末留言，写明您关注的文章类型（譬如“医学”等），我们会投您所好！
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