Study: Cognitive biases explain why incel stories get outsized attention
Feb 22nd 2026
Researchers say incel narratives combine evolutionarily salient themes and cognitive hooks that make them unusually memorable and widely shared despite the group's small size.
- Incels are a small online subculture defined by a perceived inability to form romantic relationships, yet they attract disproportionate media and public attention.
- Authors William Costello and Alberto Acerbi apply cultural attraction theory and evolutionary psychology to explain why certain narratives spread more easily.
- Incel discourse bundles sex and status themes that are evolutionarily consequential and therefore inherently attention grabbing.
- Features such as minimal counterintuitiveness, negativity bias, coalitional framing, and evolved threat detection make incel stories more memorable and shareable.
- Media coverage and cultural products can amplify these psychological dynamics and risk creating moral panics or rewarding notoriety if handled without care.
- The paper stresses that most incels are not violent and often struggle with mental health, while warning that misogynistic rhetoric can still cause real harm and occasional violence.