Can watching the news impact your mental health?
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Key points
- There is a consistent association between higher news consumption and worse mental health outcomes.
- ‘Problematic news consumption’ describes people who become preoccupied with news, use it to manage their emotions, and can't stop even when it's interfering with their lives.
- It’s important to consider where you are getting your news.
With the constant flow of news coming into our homes and out of our phones, it’s no surprise that alarm bells are being raised about news consumption and its impact on mental health.
Associate Professor Michael Noetel from UQ’s School of Psychology unpacks these concerns and what we can do to safeguard our mental health when feeling bombarded or overwhelmed by the news cycle.
“There is a consistent association between higher news consumption and worse mental health outcomes,” Dr Noetel said.
“A systematic review of 66 studies found that people who consumed more disaster-related media reported more anxiety, depression, and PTSD-like symptoms.
“Likewise, during COVID-19, multiple studies linked higher news consumption to greater distress.
“Research has also shown that even ‘ordinary’ negative news on a quiet Tuesday increased people's negative emotions and decreased their positive ones.”
It can be hard to determine whether news consumption causes harm, or if distressed people seek more news.
“A longitudinal study following thousands of Americans found media exposure predicted later stress, which predicted more media consumption, which predicted more stress,” Dr Noetel said.
“One could argue the viscous news cycle is living up to its name.”
Studies have also shown watching just 14 minutes of negative TV news made viewers catastrophise about their own unrelated personal worries.
So how and why does the news influence mental health and wellbeing?
The news seems to prime a lens of threat that colours everything else Dr Noetel explains.
“News tends to present the most upsetting or outrageous things happening around the world, that we can seldom do anything about. The good things that happen rarely make the news,” Dr Noetel said.
“Most people don't know that global poverty has more than halved in the last 20 years, that child mortality has plummeted, or that literacy rates are the highest in human history.”
Essentially, when we’re continually exposed to such a skewed perspective, the world can begin to feel like a dark and hopeless place, and that content hooks our attention.
Does how you consume news matter?
‘Problematic news consumption’ describes people who become preoccupied with news, use it to manage their emotions, and can't stop even when it's interfering with their lives.
“It's the compulsive checking and the inability to look away that does the most damage,” Dr Noetel said.
Similarly, ‘Headline stress disorder’, while not an official clinical diagnosis, is a term coined to describe the anxiety, sleep problems, and emotional exhaustion people feel from the constant news cycle.
“These problems are the natural consequence of plugging a brain evolved for village-level information into a firehose of distressing content,” Dr Noetel said.
To help manage this type of behaviour and to stay informed without the emotional toll Dr Noetel suggests a few things:
- set aside a specific and limited time to check the news rather than grazing all day
- seek out long-form journalism, books or listen to a thoughtful podcast
- wait a few days for higher quality, more truthful and balanced content
- if you notice yourself compulsively refreshing a news app, treat that as a warning sign
It’s also important to consider where you are getting your news.
“We know the link between news and distress is stronger for social media than for traditional outlets,” he said.
“Social media algorithms are optimised for engagement, and this engagement often thrives on outrage, fear, and confirmation bias.
“Clearly partisan sources present a similar problem: they can provide a sense of validation which may feel satisfying, but they can also push us toward more extreme views.”
Research on ‘affective polarisation’ shows that consuming politically partisan media is associated with chronic political stress, poor sleep, and relationship problems.
“Empathy and understanding are better for mental health over the long term, and neither is the focus of an algorithm designed to keep you scrolling,” he said.
Is there any good news?
Of course, not all news is bad news. Some news might be helpful: information that helps you navigate the world, attention to neglected problems and even light-hearted entertainment. But like most things, news consumption should be an exercise in moderation.
To improve your overall wellbeing, Dr Noetel suggests we use the technology itself to set yourself some boundaries in advance: use iOS Screen Time or Android Digital Wellbeing to set yourself a soft limit. Limits like that help you balance your news consumption with the things that really matter like reading a book, going for a walk, or connecting with friends and family.
Seek out sources that show a bigger, more balanced picture, spend time outside in nature and most importantly, remember that the world is getting better on almost every front that matters.
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