According to Social Triggers and Wired Magazine, George Lowenstien, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University developed a theory called “the information gap theory of curiosity.”
Lowenstein says “curiosity is rather simple: It comes when we feel a gap ‘between what we know and what we want to know.’” (source)
He goes on to say “This gap has emotional consequences: it feels like a mental itch, a mosquito bite on the brain. We seek out new knowledge because we that’s how we scratch the itch.”
That’s why these headline formulas increase traffic.
John Lemke on 04 May 14A plot development method that suggests characters should "cross over" and experience "near death" at certain points in the story line. It makes a good argument by citing book and movie examples.