You wake up and turn on the TV: three murders, one stabbing, corruption by local politicians, an earthquake, and a tornado. And now, news about the Ebola scare—and it’s not even 7 a.m. You just spent 20 minutes making coffee with the hopeful anticipation of starting your day, yet you’re already consumed by negativity. You might not notice it right away, but later in the day, as you browse CNN online, you see reports of a shooting at a university and an explosion at a rail company. You wonder why you don’t feel like leaving the house and why your life seems filled with worry and dread. The problem is that negativity is everywhere, and apparently, negativity SELLS!
Perhaps more problematic is the way regular people contribute to this cycle by filling their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds with nothing but bad news. “Woe is me” is rampant, and there are fewer individuals and corporations operating from a place of gratitude, happiness, and thankfulness than those who are steeped in negativity.
In recent years, a significant amount of research has linked media exposure—both news and social media—to depression in adolescents. As adults, we are fooling ourselves if we think we can remain immersed in constant negativity, whining, and disastrous reports without it affecting our well-being. We may turn on the news while waiting for the weather report or cooking dinner, believing we’re only half-paying attention, but experts say that these reports still seep into our subconscious and impact our emotions. For many, the news cultivates a constant state of worry, creating an environment conducive to depression.
A report from Psychology Today, a leading research and news outlet in the psychiatric realm, states:
“The development of depression in adolescence and adulthood may be understood as a biopsychosocial, multifactorial process influenced by risk and protective factors including temperament, genetic heritability, parenting style, cognitive vulnerability, stressors (e.g., trauma exposure or poverty), daily exposure to news and social media, and interpersonal relationships, both virtual and otherwise,” the authors write.
“Media exposure is another plausible influence, since teens and adults are exposed to an average of eight and one-half hours of electronic media per day, which includes smartphone devices, tablets, computers, and television.”
In other words, if half of your waking hours are spent subconsciously listening to and reading about everything that’s wrong with the world, there’s a substantial chance it will affect your overall well-being.
Taking Control of Our Exposure
So what is a person to do? Realistically, we all know that the media tends to report more negativity than positivity. Drama sells, and we have somehow fallen in love with the trials and tribulations of others. Perhaps hearing about how bad things could be makes dealing with our everyday stressors feel easier.
The problem is that as a society, we need to take back control. We’ve become complacent, accepting gloom and doom as a part of life instead of taking a proactive stance in choosing what we feed our minds. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Disconnecting, turning off the TV, and being mindful of what we allow into our minds is the first step toward changing our world and how we feel. If more people decided to do this, it would send a strong message to TV and social media influencers. Interestingly, some of the most popular Facebook pages and websites promote positive news, self-help, and uplifting messages, indicating that at an innate level, we really want to feel good and hear good news. Gaining control of what we pay attention to is crucial.
The recent Ebola scare in the United States is just one example of the hysteria and negative reporting that often leaves people speechless. The New York Times reported last week that more than three-quarters of the U.S. population is searching online for news updates on Ebola, even though only a handful of people have been infected. News reports are filled with gloom and doom about the disease, instilling immense fear in people and fostering resentment toward others. Last week, Ebola was a trending topic on news and social media, racking up billions of hits.
At the end of the day, we need to pay attention to how we feel and how our environment impacts our emotions. If we’re feeling down, rather than sitting like zombies with the TV blaring bad news, we should choose to take a walk. Instead of mindlessly scrolling through bad news on our phones, we need to seek out things that make us feel good. We must recognize that we have the ability to control and filter the amount of negativity we encounter daily. We control the off switches.
This doesn’t mean we should bury our heads in the sand and remain ignorant of world events. However, we must take back control of our lives and limit our exposure to negativity and bad news. There’s no doubt that we are influenced by the news and media around us. Is that influence enhancing your life, or is it contributing to depression, mood disorders, and anxiety? If you are among the three-quarters of the population experiencing these issues, consider whether your exposure to the news, social media, and the barrage of negativity is worth it.
