Political Ads and Mental Health

Seeing a campaign ad for a candidate or referendum can be jarring. Many people hold strong opinions toward one candidate or the other, and seeing or hearing another candidate’s stark portrayal of the imagined future that awaits if the other candidate is elected can spark anger, fear, and resentment. The psychological distress caused by campaign advertisements can also have broader societal impacts that extend beyond partisan perceptions and polarized worldviews.

Political advertisements often use powerful emotional appeals, such as fear, anger, or hope, to influence the opinions and behaviors of viewers and voters. While these ads are designed to mobilize partisans and persuade undecided voters to support a particular candidate, there is emerging evidence that constant exposure to these ads can also have unintended effects on broader feelings of stress, cynicism, and anxiety that may reach levels of clinical concern. This emotional turmoil is likely compounded by a steady barrage of conflicting messages and some purposeful efforts to confuse, scare, and misinform.

In this Keynote, Jeff Niederdeppe, Senior Associate Dean of Faculty Development at the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy and Professor of Communication at the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, will share what we know about the impact that watching campaign ads may be having on our collective health and well-being, regardless of which candidate you support or oppose. Professor Niederdeppe has written extensively about the ways in which media portrayals, campaigns, and news coverage can affect our health and well-being.