Ok, I made a slight edit, but with good reason which I’ll explain. This was a headline I saw on Yahoo today: “Oil prices plunge at fastest rate in 17rs!”

Ok, I made a slight edit, but with good reason which I’ll explain. This was a headline I saw on Yahoo today: “Oil prices plunge at fastest rate in 17rs!”

I couldn’t help but think of all the doom and gloom headlines regarding oil that have been coming out daily for months and months.

“Gas prices could hit $7 a gallon”

“No end in site to runaway oil prices”

“Economy teetering due to skyrocketing oil prices”

Think back even just a week ago. Would you have imagined seeing the headline today, “Oil prices plunge at fastest rate in 17rs”?

Gee, what could next week bring?

“No bottom in site to falling oil prices”

“Experts predict a free-fall to $1 a gallon”

“Stock market explodes to record highs as oil prices collapse”

No, I am not making this prediction (at least not as soon as next week), but I am trying to point out that we say similar negative headlines to ourselves every day, don’t we? And we believe them to…

“We’re slipping into a recession, I’ll never find a job now”

“My money problems are skidding out of control”

“My life is a disaster, and things are about to get worse”

Oil goes up, and it goes down. As does the stock market, the housing market, and our problems.

You see, the media have known for decades that the key to catching our attention is a great headline…especially one that scares the daylights out of us.

Well, our crafty old minds have picked up on this little gem of a strategy. It’s called “Sensationalizing”…a quick look at Dictionary.com and I found, “Sensationalizing: To cast and present in a manner intended to arouse strong interest, especially through inclusion of exaggerated or lurid details”

So, the moral of the story is this. The next headline you read that scares you, remember the above definition, especially the word “exaggerated”. And more importantly, do the same thing the next time you hear that little sensationalizing headline writer inside your head. Since we attract what we think about, it’s probably time to promote yourself to Editor and Chief and redline your “head”-lines.

Rich