The job of a headline
A headline has two jobs that pull in different directions. It should tell you what the story is about, and it should persuade you to click. When the second job wins, accuracy suffers. Understanding that tension is the first step to reading headlines calmly.
The curiosity gap
'You will not believe what happened next' works because it withholds the key fact. The headline creates a question and the only way to close it is to click. Whenever the most important detail is missing from the headline on purpose, treat that as a warning that the story may be thinner than it sounds.
Questions that expect the answer no
Headlines ending in a question mark, such as 'Is this the end of the high street?', are usually answered with a plain 'no' or 'probably not' in the article. Journalists sometimes call this Betteridge's law. A question lets a publisher suggest something dramatic without having to prove it.
Emotional and absolute words
Words such as 'shocking', 'slams', 'destroys', 'crisis' and 'everyone' push you toward feeling before thinking. Absolute words like 'always' and 'never' are rarely true. When you see them, ask what the plain version would be. 'Minister criticises report' is often what 'Minister slams report' really means.
Compare the headline to the first paragraph
A quick test is to read the headline, then the opening paragraph, and see if the claim holds. If the headline says prices will double and the first paragraph says some analysts think a rise is possible, the headline overreached. It is a good habit that takes ten seconds.
Be kind to yourself
Clickbait works on everyone because it is designed to. You do not need to avoid headlines. You only need to treat them as advertisements for a story rather than the story itself.