We all get stressed out at times about things that happen and that we hear and watch in the news, especially when it’s bad news.
The last couple of years have been especially filled with bad news, the pandemic, the economy, the crime, the war in Ukraine and the divisiveness in politics.
Well now there’s a study out that suggests that all this news, most of it bad, can be bad “for” us.
The study in the peer-reviewed journal Health Communications found that some people can feel ill, physically and mentally if they spend too much time watching it.
As the lead author puts it, “Witnessing these events unfold in the news can bring about a constant state of high alert in some people, kicking their surveillance motives into overdrive and making the world seem like a dark and dangerous place,”
For these people, he says, “a vicious cycle can develop in which, rather than tuning out, they become drawn further in, obsessing over the news.”
These researchers say just cutting yourself off from all the news is not a good idea, saying it could lead to missing out on important information for your health and safety and they say it’s not good for democracy if the citizens are not informed.
Many experts will tell you that to avoid letting the news around you stress you out and even affect your health, have emotional and spiritual anchors in your life: family, friends and faith. Doing that should be a top story in all of our lives.
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