In an age where negative headlines dominate our newspapers, where the internet is full of horrifying stories of conflict, and where the question of another terrorist attack is always when and not if, the coverage of the 2016 Olympic Games provided a welcome relief. Whether it was Team GB's extensive medal haul, the stories of true inspiration, or the emergence of cyclists Laura Trott and Jason Kenny as the country’s new favourite power couple, there was definitely more of a feel-good factor in the news headlines during that August fortnight.

But this, in itself, was a strange phenomenon. For – as two recent studies have confirmed – readers are drawn to negative headlines. Researchers from McGill University in Canada discovered in 2014 that their participants – when told to read some articles from a news website while their eye movements were measured – were far more likely to choose stories with a negative tone than with a neutral or positive one, even though these people professed to prefer good news when asked, and expressed their regret that positive stories were not given as much coverage.

Similarly, an Outbrain study in the same year revealed that the average click-through rate on headlines with negative superlatives was 63 per cent higher than that of their positive equivalents, and still 29 per cent higher on neutral headlines. While there are many different theories as to why this is the case, one simple fact is clear: we, the reading public, are drawn to bad news.

So why was it different during 'Olympic time'? Why were the headlines full of Team GB’s achievements and not Trump’s latest misdemeanour?

Maybe it was the sheer weight of good news coming from Rio. A haul of 67 medals equalled 67 superb news stories; as we read coverage documenting Team GB securing a gold, another would quickly follow.

Reflections on Rio: The Highlight Reel

Yet a slightly greater concentration of good news during the Olympics does not explain why the Games were constantly in our headlines, why its stories sold, and why the viewing figures on television were so good across the different sports. Indeed, really bad news is typically followed by days, sometimes weeks, of headlines, analysis, and inquests, covered by pages and pages of articles. But when Team GB won a gold medal, it was an “oh, brilliant!” moment that was quickly passed by as coverage moved straight on to the next one.

Thus, perhaps it was the transience of these stories that meant we had to read all about them while we could, before the next hero began to dominate the headlines.

Only during the Olympics could many people hold an educated conversation with someone about the controversial Keirin rules in the cycling, cast a critical eye upon the attempt of synchronised divers at an inward 3.5 in a tuck position, or truly enjoy the absurd spectacle that is the dressage. Indeed, the entirety of the viewing public suddenly became an expert, basking in a wave of a real sense of togetherness.

For once, we could celebrate the fact that Great Britain was back to being truly great, performing well on the world stage. After the divisions in our country were fully revealed by Brexit, and in the face of continued terrorist threats, we needed to enjoy the positive feeling while it lasted. We needed the unity that the Olympics had to offer.

Of course, Rio 2016 was not all good news. Doping controversies still lingered over many of the events, while the sheer number of alleged robberies (some debunked) did not help Rio’s image. And, for every Team GB athlete that won a medal, there was always a sad story of the competitor who missed out; Adam Gemili’s 100m effort was particularly agonising.

Reflections on Rio: Controversy reigns

Indeed, the newfound scepticism as to the fairness of the sport on show had led many to predict that viewing figures would sag this year. While for the most part, the faith of the public had not been lost, there remained some spectators whose trust still needed to be regained. As one commentator noted before Usain Bolt took to the track to defend his 100m Olympic crown by beating Justin Gatlin (who has twice served bans for doping) in last year’s world championships, Bolt had saved his sport, and this year, he needed to give it the kiss of life.

With the Rio Olympics, there was always the question as to whether we could trust what we were seeing – at least with Bolt, we could.

Scandals did come out of the Rio Olympics, and there will always be recurring questions over its legacy too, just as with London 2012. But if South America’s first Olympiad proved anything, it was that good news can, and will, sell. Trott’s record gold medal haul, Max Whitlock’s stunning golds in the gymnastics and Bolt’s dominance: these are all stories that we might forget in time, so we should celebrate them in the moment, enjoy the fact that Olympic sport dominated the headlines, and maybe feel a little proud that a nation with a population of 64 million can grapple for second position on the medal table with a nation like China, whose population is over a billion.

Good news sells – and what a relief for the global population that it does.