Breaking news is breaking us all

Once upon a time, once the evening news was over and the paper was read, we could shut off the world and enjoy life.

Our little handheld computers are feeding us anxiety-provoking headlines 24/7, even on social media apps that are supposed to connect us with friends and family.

When do we get a break from it?

We don’t unless we consciously ensure that we take one. It doesn’t help that once you click the link, the algorithm continues to send you similar headlines (Robertson et al, 2023).



Being exposed to stressful or negative headlines for as little as fifteen minutes a day negatively affects our mental health, triggering a stress response (Bertram et al, 2023). The more you read, the more cycles of stress you experience.  

Humans were never equipped to take on the fears and anxieties of the entire planet. For thousands of years, we worried only about our immediate family, village and maybe the surrounding villages within a few days’ travel.

We are primed to find and react to danger; however, our autonomic nervous system does not distinguish between a present physical threat and one that has happened on the other side of the planet. It’s like when your boss calls you and says that they need to talk to you right now, or your mom uses your full name in "that voice", your body reacts the same way that it would react to being chased by a bear!

So, what can you do?

• Limit your exposure to negative news.
• Switch off news notifications.
• Seek out local news channels.
• Seek out good news stories like The Good News Network.

And if all else fails, watching cute and funny animal videos will help balance out the stress hormones with a little dopamine infusion. I quite enjoy dancing goats.

Be kind to yourself,

Jennifer

Sources:

Bertram T, Hoffmann Ayala D, Huber M, Brandl F, Starke G, Sorg C and Mulej Bratec S (2023) Human threat circuits: Threats of pain, aggressive conspecific, and predator elicit distinct BOLD activations in the amygdala and hypothalamus. Front. Psychiatry 13:1063238. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1063238

Robertson, C.E., Pröllochs, N., Schwarzenegger, K. et al. Negativity drives online news consumption. Nat Hum Behav 7, 812–822 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01538-4