How does bad news affect us?

A bit like social networks or computers, our brain also has a kind of algorithm that pushes it to process information in a different way. The more information is repeated, the more our neurons become sensitive to it.

Victim of our appetite for disasters?

If our brain receives a lot of information daily, we are all victims of a certain craving for negative information that we retain much better than positive. Focusing on what is wrong actually corresponds to a survival instinct well anchored in our evolution which pushes us to avoid or face danger.

Focusing on good news therefore requires a greater effort and above all sufficient repetition that allows us to give less importance to non-essential negative information. Appealing to this rationality mobilizes our attention at all times and requires sorting out information while avoiding fanciful news and sensationalism.

Are the news channels depressing us?

Knowing full well that disasters fascinate and hold the attention of television viewers, continuous news channels tend to repeat negative news throughout their programs, often amplified by staging that amplifies the seriousness of the information.

The repetition of this type of information can cause a feeling of helplessness and frustration, associated with fear and danger to come. If of course we cannot attribute the occurrence of a depression or an anxiety disorder solely to this type of information, they participate in it in people who are already psychologically exhausted. This is why it is important to become aware of the “magnifying glass” effect of these television channels or social networks which constitutes a distortion of reality.

Source: Tazerart, S., Mitchell, DE, Miranda-Rottmann, S. et al. A spike-timing-dependent plasticity rule for dendritic spines. Common Nat 11, 4276 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-17861-7

Find out more: “TV Lobotomy: The scientific truth about the effects of television” by Michel Desmurget, Edition J’ai lu.