Rethinking negativity bias in online word-of-mouth: When negative reviews don’t always help

This study advances our understanding of negativity bias in online reviews by examining how varying intensities of negative emotions (i.e., emotional negativity) influence review helpfulness. While prior research has focused on comparing positive versus negative reviews, we explore variations within negative reviews. Our findings reveal an inverted U-shaped relationship between emotional negativity and review helpfulness, suggesting that the effectiveness of negativity depends not on its presence, but on its intensity of expression. Specifically, while moderate levels of emotional negativity enhance review helpfulness, excessive negativity can diminish it, indicating that the impact of emotional negativity is more nuanced than understood. These insights extend existing theories on emotional expression in reviews while providing actionable guidelines. For prospective reviewers, we advise expressing negative emotions at optimal levels to maximize the helpfulness of their reviews to others. For hospitality practitioners, we recommend fostering moderate emotional negativity through service staff training and early intervention strategies.