Is Watching News Bad For Your Health?

by Neha V. Blogger

The question of the effect of cable news on one’s health has been one debated for the past few years. In information and technological age, the concept sounds rather extreme and would otherwise be dismissed if there wasn’t sufficient evidence to support this hypothesis. Not all news should be rejected; however, only certain kinds have shown to have health on a viewer’s mental impact.

The University of Toronto researchers found in a study that journalists who regularly deal with images conveying extreme violence were more likely to suffer from depression, anxiety, alcoholism, and PTSD. They concluded that repeated exposure to such images had adverse psychological consequences. Equally, the same journalists eventually become desensitized; they become emotionally numb to the violence they see while doing their job.

Considering the effects observed by the researchers, audiences are not exempted from such psychological effects. A person who is always plugged in and watching news of terror attacks, police brutality and other acts of violence eventually become emotionally worn down. Responding with proper emotion to such situations becomes increasingly difficult, and empathy dwindles.

Apart from the occasional peek in stress levels during election night or when watching a game, watching cable news doesn’t cause physiological or psychological stress or affect the cognitive function. On the whole, viewing reports, whether or not we agree with it, are scared of it or disappoints us, is a relatively safe habit.

The concern, however, comes in when there’s information overload. With 24-hour news cycles, there can be too much information. The more natural way to combat this is to take a break from news and focus on other activities. It becomes about balance. A closer look at what’s being aired, especially in this Trump era, it is easy to see why that watching cable news could be anxious. With narratives of an impending nuclear disaster, environmental crisis and sexual assault with #MeToo, anxiety levels could be higher in people. It is especially so if you’re working in a specific industry or location. Citizens, environmentalist, beauty PR companies, health practitioners, principles- anyone can be affected.

Again, cultivating a healthy “media diet” is encouraged. A person can keep up to date with the current news without being overwhelmed. Research has shown that watching a negative news bulletin before resuming your regular routines shows that anxiety levels will still be high. The prudent course of action, where applicable, is to enter relaxation mode as a way to distract ourselves intentionally.

The other alternative is to follow up with the neutral or positive news. One could find a feature or report about any given event- content does not matter much- to help get a balanced view of the world. That is because news changes our moods and that in turn changes how we think and behave. There’s plenty of scientific evidence pointing to the effects negative thinking can have our overall health and life.

What’s the way forward? Being current with what’s happening in the world shouldn’t feel like a hard equation to balance. When watching the news, opt for cable news channels with neutral content.