This study examined the influence of the affective nature of television news on satisfaction with an individual's own life as well as on an individual's outlook regarding good fortune and misfortune. Subjects, 30 male and 30 female undergraduates at Indiana University, viewed a variety of news stories and completed two questionnaires, one rating the news stories on five dimensions of emotional content, and one assessing subjects' satisfaction with and expectations for various aspects of their lives. Results indicated that (1) bad news tends to be judged as more interesting than good news; (2) bad news tends to make viewers feel more apprehensive about potential harm to themselves than does good news; and (3) bad news may make viewers feel less emotionally stable than good news. Results gave no support whatsoever to the proposal that visually graphic bad news is appealing to viewers because it eventually makes them feel better about their own lives. (Eight tables of data are included, and 35 references are attached. Appendixes include subject response forms, factor analysis pattern for news story measures, and factor analysis pattern for measures of life issues.) (SR)