Headlines Are Designed to Mislead

Most people read only the headline. Editors know this, so headlines are written not to tell the story but to maximize clicks. A headline is an advertisement for the article, and like all advertisements, it exaggerates, simplifies, and sometimes outright lies.

A study of millions of links shared on Twitter found that 59% were never clicked at all. People read the headline, felt something, and hit share. The headline did its whole job without anyone ever reading the article.