It’s very hard these days not to feel a sense of despair when reading the headlines, watching the news, or scrolling through social media. Even the occasional puppy picture or latest viral image of Taylor Swift cheering on Travis Kelce cannot seem to distract enough from the horrific stories we are hearing both abroad and at home. Is it wrong to turn away or do we have an obligation to read the news no matter how terrible it may make us feel?
To News or Not to News? That is the question.
The answer, however, may be more complex. We know from science that because of negativity bias, the 24-hour news cycle can wreak havoc on our mental health, causing heightened levels of the stress hormone cortisol, affecting our quality of sleep, impairing our ability to concentrate, and may even trigger symptoms of trauma and PTSD. Data also shows that “doomscrolling” may affect some people more negatively than others. Women tend to report much higher stress levels than men as a result of the news cycles and those who are avid social media users – not surprisingly – are three times more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression and anxiety.
But the answer isn’t to bury one’s head in the sand either. Science backs this up too, with research showing that experiencing so-called “negative” emotions like stress from time to time can actually lead to unexpected benefits in mental health.
Dr. Kelly McGonigal’s research on stress is the perfect case study to illustrate this. A Stanford psychologist, McGonigal showed that while there are certainly some negative aspects to feeling chronic stress – such as increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease – there can also be some positive aspects to it. The key is how we approach it and whether we see the emotion as helpful or a hindrance.
In the case of stress in particular, a curious thing happens to us physiologically. At first, one’s pituitary gland becomes activated, releasing cortisol and adrenaline, making our heart pound and causing the “fight-flight” response that is so important to our survival. Yet McGonigal’s research also pointed to the fact that cortisol is not the only hormone that is activated when we experience stressful situations: oxytocin is also released as part of our body’s evolutionary stress response.
Why is this important? Oxytocin is the hormone that motivates an individual to seek connection and social support. Thus, according to McGonigal, stress can actually be our friend when managed and acted upon correctly. It can motivate us to reach out to others and find meaning through that shared connection. She notes: “The harmful effects of stress on health are not inevitable…How you think and how you act can transform your experience of stress. When you choose to view your stress response as helpful, you create the biology of courage. And when you choose to connect with others under stress, you can create resilience.”
Thus, stress is not only your friend. It can lead to more connections with friends or other loved ones. When tapped into it correctly, stress can motivate you to call someone for support and strengthen social bonds.
So, should you read the news or not? Yes, to a point. As informed as you might like to be, it won’t help anyone if you go down a rabbit hole of scrolling and start spiraling into the abyss of negativity bias.
But if you are intentional around what you consume and, importantly, how you will act in response, any stress or negative emotions that may occur after reading about the tragic events happening all around us could be used in one’s favor – toward creating a foundation for resilience, social connection, and meaning.