With the fractious state of global politics, it is little wonder that one reader has written in to say they are overwhelmed by bad news. 鈥淚 know it鈥檚 bad for my mood, but I can鈥檛 stop myself reading about the disasters unfolding,鈥� she says. 鈥淗ow can I find mental peace when there鈥檚 so much wrong in the world?鈥�
I鈥檓 sure many of us can empathise; doomscrolling is a common habit caused by the human brain鈥檚 preference for negative information. , our attention naturally fixes on the most depressing or frightening. found that each negative word in a headline adds 2.3 per cent to the average click-through rate. in people with low 鈥渢olerance of uncertainty鈥� 鈥� those who want a predictable future they can control.
Our negativity bias might have served us well in the past, when our survival depended on our capacity to understand and respond to threats. But it may be ill-suited to the 21st century, when the dangers of the world are beamed onto our devices鈥� screens 24 hours a day. to a higher risk of depression, and, , excessive media consumption about distressing news events can produce the symptoms of PTSD.
Advertisement
If you find your news consumption damaging to your well-being, you might choose to temporarily disengage from your feeds, or at least limit your exposure to a fixed period. , clients are often told to assign themselves a limited 鈥渨orry time鈥� each day, after which they are encouraged to look for distraction. The chance to anchor such anxious rumination to a fixed period appears to be more effective than simply telling someone not to worry at all.
You might also make a conscious effort to find items that restore your faith in humanity. by psychologists Kathryn Buchanan and Gillian Sandstrom asked people to watch footage about the Manchester Arena bombing that happened in May 2017. They found that showing some examples of brave and altruistic responses to the attacks helped to reduce participants鈥� distress and cynicism. They were more likely to respond positively to statements such as 鈥減eople are basically good鈥� and 鈥渢he way our society works makes sense鈥�, for instance.
Of course, we shouldn鈥檛 aim to sugarcoat every troubling event so that we no longer feel any fear or anger. But by bolstering our resilience, we may become more motivated to take positive action. A follow-up study by Buchanan and Sandstrom found that people who watched others鈥� kindness were more willing to act pro-socially themselves. The world may be a dark place, but we can choose to look for the light.
Further reading
If you are looking for further ways to improve your social media exposure, this piece from Harvard Medical School offers some eminently practical tips:
You may also enjoy Alain de Botton鈥檚
David Robson is an award-winning science writer and听author of The Laws of Connection: 13 social strategies that will transform your life
For other projects visit newscientist.com/maker
听
