This paper outlines and tests a two‐stage activation model of information exposure. A fundamental postulate is that human beings have individual levels of need for activation or arousal. If activation falls below or exceeds this level, individuals will tend to experience a negative affective state and will turn away from a given source of information. If activation remains within some acceptable range, the affective state will be more pleasant and individuals will continue to expose themselves to the information. The findings offer support for two of three hypothesized interactions at the first stage of the model, which predicts affective state, and for a hypothesized main effect at the second stage, which predicts exposure.
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