Cyber and media psychologist Mayra Ruiz-McPherson, PhD(c), MA, MFA, explains that broadly speaking, "negative news" can describe two kinds of events and happenings. First are those we view as problematic and stressful (essentially not good) and those that are of a traumatic or catastrophic nature.
And if we get focused on them too much, they can negatively affect us. "While staying informed is important, prolonged consumption of negative news in either capacity can have wide-ranging effects on mental health, cognitive processes, social behavior, and overall well-being," says Ruiz-McPherson.
One of the effects that negative news can have on our mental health is increased anxiety and worry. When these feelings are heightened, we may also lack optimism, hope, and start to expect worst-case outcomes.
"Ongoing exposure to especially traumatic events can also lead to (sometimes long-lasting) symptoms resembling post-traumatic stress, even for those not directly affected by the trauma," adds Ruiz-McPherson.
Cognitively, pessimistic headlines and stories reinforce our negativity bias, which, according to Ruiz-McPherson, "can lead to maladaptive thought patterns, including increased pessimism and catastrophizing."
It can also erode our ability to stay optimistic, which is more important than we may realize. "Our optimism is a cognitive buffer of sorts that helps us to selectively filter out bad news when updating our beliefs and understandings on incoming/new information," says Ruiz-McPherson.
A constant flow of negative news can additionally influence our social behavior. "Prolonged exposure to negatively valenced news and media can lead to emotional desensitization, trigger compassion fatigue, and inadvertently strengthen harmful social biases," says Ruiz-McPherson.
It can decrease social trust and civic engagement too. "Constant negative news promoting beliefs that the world is a dangerous place where people cannot be trusted can alter one’s perceptions of social dynamics and inspire political apathy. This, in turn, may impact a person’s ability or desire to engage in positive social actions and/or demotivate constructive political behavior," she adds.
On the other hand, good news has the power to boost our happiness and overall well-being, says Ruiz-McPherson. And the better our mood, the lower our stress levels.
It can also reduce feelings of isolation or loneliness, which consequently enhances our social connectedness and allows us to build stronger relationships.
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Admittedly, it can be hard to avoid being overwhelmed by negativity, as the media purposely feeds us negativity to attract more readers. However, Ruiz-McPherson says that to refrain from getting sucked into pessimistic news, we have to practice moderation, just like with anything in life.
"Most of us enjoy greasy fries or ice cream from time to time, but we don’t consume those types of foods day and night, nor for our every single meal," she says, illustrating her point. "So moderation in terms of news requires striking a balance, but achieving and maintaining that balance requires some considerations."
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