Final answer:
In MySQL, the default sort direction for output is ascending order, unless the 'DESC' keyword is specified to sort in descending order.
Step-by-step explanation:
The default direction in which output is sorted in MySQL is ascending order. When using the ORDER BY clause in a SQL query without specifying the direction, MySQL will automatically sort the selected data in ascending order based on the specified column. If you wish to sort the data in descending order, you must explicitly state DESC in the ORDER BY clause. For example, SELECT * FROM table_name ORDER BY column_name DESC; sorts the output in descending order.