A lot of people feel outrage when they’re online – about the news, about injustice or violence in their neighborhood, country, or the world. But where does that outrage take people?

A new study from Lancaster University analyzed over a million posts linked to online petitions. It found that moral outrage helps posts go viral, but it doesn’t significantly increase signatures on petitions.

Outrage doesn’t seem to lead to action, but – scientists are finding that feeling outraged while spending lots of time online can have real health consequences.

In one of their occasional conversations, WHYY’s Maiken Scott and psychologist Dan Gottlieb discuss the findings.