Visiting dark tourism sites—destinations associated with death and suffering— often exposes tourists to emotional conditions that trigger Social Sharing of Emotions (SSE). This paper explores how sharing negative emotions influences tourists' emotional experiences in dark tourism contexts. Study 1 shows that sharing negative emotions intensifies the sharer's emotions, making the experience more memorable. Study 2 reveals that recipient feedback moderates this effect, while Study 3 finds that the impact varies depending on the sharing mode and the relationship between the sharer and recipient. These findings challenge the ‘emotional venting’ belief and suggest that sharing with strong ties is not always more beneficial than sharing with weak ties. From a managerial perspective, encouraging social sharing enhances emotional engagement and create deeper, lasting memories. Operators should create spaces for emotional expression and tailor sharing strategies based on visitors’ relationship dynamics.