This study examined the influences of perceived distance to communicator on the effects of aggressive style (i.e. personal attacks and intense languages) in communicating scientific issues such as COVID-19 to the public. With a multi-site experiment (N = 464), we found that aggression led to a heightened violation of expected social norm regarding communication styles. However, the interpretation of violation varied depending on the individual’s perceived distance to the communicator. Close distance articulated the urgency and severity of COVID-19 risks conveyed with aggression, which further increased compliance with the message. Far distance perception amplified aggression’s negative influence on writer likeability. The findings showed that aggressive communication may generate positive outcomes when dealing with public understanding of scientific issues such as COVID-19, but communicators need to build a closer connection with their audience.

本研究探讨了在向公众传达 COVID-19 等科学问题时，与传播者之间的感知距离对攻击性风格（即人身攻击和激烈语言）的影响。通过多站点实验（ N = 464），我们发现攻击性会导致对沟通方式方面预期​​社会规范的严重违反。然而，对违规行为的解释会根据个人与沟通者的距离感知而有所不同。近距离阐明了通过攻击性传达的 COVID-19 风险的紧迫性和严重性，这进一步提高了人们对信息的遵守程度。远距离感知放大了攻击性对作家好感度的负面影响。研究结果表明，在处理公众对 COVID-19 等科学问题的理解时，积极的沟通可能会产生积极的成果，但沟通者需要与受众建立更紧密的联系。