“Most of us these days have news alerts set on our smartphones, and 24-hour news on continuously in the background,” he says. You could also pare back your news habit. If you notice a news-induced surge of pessimism, taking a breather with mood-lifting activities like listening to music, exercising or watching something that makes you laugh may all help counteract those dark vibes. “Try to be aware of how changes your mood or makes your thoughts more negative,” Davey advises. If you find your news habit is messing with your relationship or well-being, some changes to the ways you interact with the news may be helpful. He says we shouldn’t focus on the amount of news we consume each day, but rather on the ways in which we engage with news in relation to our everyday lives and the people who fill them. “It’s extremely complicated-if not impossible-to predict how people in the aggregate will respond to news.” “News is not an infectious and contagious pathogen like anthrax or the Ebola virus that impacts humans in relatively predicable ways,” says Chris Peters, an associate professor of media and communication at Aalborg University Copenhagen. And if the news you consume is getting you worked up or worried-and some would say this is exactly the goal of much of today’s coverage-it’s probably not doing your health any favors, she says.īut other experts say the effect news has on a person’s health varies from one individual to another. “There’s this idea of following the news in order to be an informed citizen, but a lot of what you see today is gossip elevated to a sophisticated level,” she says. Breuning says much of the opinion and commentary that passes for news analysis is the equivalent of lunchroom gossip. While your brain may find the latest news enthralling, it’s hard to argue that all of that news is truly illuminating. “Our brain is predisposed to go negative, and the news we consume reflects this.” “This can make it hard for us to ignore the negatives and seek out the positives around us,” she says. “In a state of nature, our survival depends on finding rewards and avoiding harm, but avoiding harm takes priority,” says Loretta Breuning, a former professor of management at California State University, East Bay and author of Habits of a Happy Brain.īreuning explains that the human brain is attracted to troubling information because it’s programmed to detect threats, not to overlook them. The human brain is also wired to pay attention to information that scares or unsettles us-a concept known as “ negativity bias“. So if the evidence suggests the news can stress people out, why do they keep going back for more? For one thing, it’s entertaining, Davey says.
Stress-related hormones, namely cortisol, have been linked to inflammation associated with rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease and other serious health concerns. While increased anxiety and stress are reason enough to be wary of overdoing it when it comes to the news, these and other mental health afflictions can also fuel physical ailments.
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