News—Better to Be Ignorant or Informed?
Written by Marci Renée
Photo by Nijwam Swargiary on Unsplash
News is bombarding me from every side.
When the COVID-19 crisis hit the globe, I found myself checking statistics and news updates every hour. I was anxious and wanted to be informed about what was going on. There was an urge inside of me to know what was happening locally around me and globally across the ocean. I needed to know how this crisis might potentially affect me, personally, as well as my family—both near and far.
I needed to know.
Or did I?
Recently I watched a webinar, “How to Stay Sane in the Middle of a Crisis.” Ruth Soukup, author and director of Living Well Academy, advised watching no more than 10 minutes of news a day.
Wow! Only 10 minutes? I haven’t added up all the time I have spent checking news updates and statistics lately on my phone, but I would assume the time is well over 10 minutes.
When I started thinking about it, I realized that I was feeling more and more anxious as I watched the COVID-19 numbers increase by the day, by the hour, by the minute.
It wasn’t calming me to be informed. It was actually stirring more fear and anxiety in my heart and mind.
Why?
I’m not one who typically follows the news closely. I’m incapable of engaging in political debate and deep discussions about current events. I’m not usually someone who is well informed about what’s happening in the world.
However, this new global crisis that we are facing has driven me to be informed, even though the information isn’t comforting me. Rather, it is stirring all kinds of negative emotions.
My husband, on the other hand, reads digital articles daily about our host country and our homeland. He likes to watch the evening news. He seems to be well informed just about everything and enjoys engaging in political debates and discussions on global events.
He wants to be informed. He needs to be informed. He seems to be comforted by being informed.
Perhaps it’s a personality thing. I don’t know, but I wonder.
Here’s my bigger question . . .
For our mental health, is it better to be informed or to be ignorant?
Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash
We live in a world that is saturated with information. During a crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, we have a tendency to increase our exposure to news and information—much of which is negative.
News headlines tend to focus on scary statistics in order to grab our attention. Negative images and thoughts then stick in our mind and can greatly affect our mental health.
According to Dr. Carole Lieberman, an American psychiatrist with a Master’s in Public Health with a focus on the media’s role in mental health disorders, the power of negative images and words was witnessed after the terrorist attacks of September 11. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms began to appear in viewers who were not located anywhere near the ground zero area of the attacks.
The British Journal of Psychology conducted another study, published in 2011, and “found that the ill effects of watching bad news were evident after only 14 minutes, and that bombarding yourself for hours a day is even worse.”
How does watching too much news affect us?
1. It can create an unhealthy cycle of anxiety, fear, and depression.
In order to describe this cycle caused by the constant media coverage of the recent pandemic, Dr. Lieberman has coined the term “Coronavirus Stress Syndrome.”
2. It can weaken our immune system as it increases our stress levels. In regards to the Coronavirus, watching negative news about the virus could actually be reducing our immune system’s ability to be able to fight off the virus.
“Watching round-the-clock news about Coronavirus actually makes people more vulnerable to it,” says Dr. Lieberman.
3. Watching negative news can be addicting.
Holly Sawyer, a licensed psychotherapist and addiction specialist in Philadelphia, says there can be an addictive quality to watching 24-hour news.
“As with other addictions, people go to that thing that feeds them and keeps them there. It becomes an addiction cycle that keeps feeding on itself.”
Sawyer goes on to remark that more frequent ads for anti-anxiety medication, cholesterol-lowering drugs, and weight-loss solutions are found on those newscasts—all conditions worsened by increased levels of stress.
What factors affect how much someone is impacted by negative news?
1. Anxiety and Depression: It seems that we should all guard how much we expose ourselves to news. However, those who already struggle with anxiety and/or depression must be especially cautious.
According to Dr. Lieberman, “For those who suffer from depression and anxiety, watching the news, especially 24-hour news, can worsen their symptoms.”
2. Isolation: Another group that is susceptible to the impact of negative news is those who live in isolation. Someone who doesn’t have another person with whom he can bounce ideas off or process the information has the potential to be more negatively influenced.
3. Seeing News Versus Reading or Hearing News Only: Carla Marie Manly, an American clinical psychologist and author, explains that “studies have shown audio-visual stimulation is more impactful than audio-only or text in terms of emotional response, learning and memory.”
How can we find the balance between being ignorant and being informed?
On one end of the spectrum, some people might say, “Who really cares?” These individuals might prefer to live in ignorance, feeling they can’t do anything to change the circumstances anyway.
Others might disagree, saying, “We need to be informed about the world because we are citizens in that world. The condition of the world affects our lives. The things happening in our world affect our families. Ignorance of the primary currents of our culture leaves us vulnerable to those things.”
Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash
Here are a few suggestions in how to find balance:
If possible, read and listen to news rather than watching it.
Limit your exposure to news each day, to 10-15 minutes/day. Set a timer to remind yourself when you have reached your time limit. Avoid 24-hour news broadcasts and sensationalist news. Also, watching more local news that is more relevant can also be more helpful than bombarding ourselves with distant, global news.
Find someone to process information with you—especially if you are living alone. Process with a friend or family member on the phone or during a video call.
If you are sensing any intense symptoms of stress, anxiety, or depression, seek professional help.
Limit exposure to news before bedtime. It can stimulate your mind, causing anxiety and fear which could affect your sleep quality. If you watch the news before 5-6 p.m., you have ample time to process it during your waking hours.
Fill your mind with many positive, happy stories during this time of negative news. Keep a gratitude journal to turn your focus on positive events in your life and surroundings. This can help balance your emotions. Beginning and ending your day on a positive note can help frame your day with joy and peace.
It seems that both my husband and I may be a bit out of balance.
Usually, I sway on the side of ignorance. However, it’s important for me to be informed during a time of crisis. What’s happening in the world does affect me and my family. Knowing what’s going on locally and globally can help me be more prepared and know what to expect. It can also help me to be involved in conversations about world events. I just don’t need to be overly informed.
My husband, on the other hand, may be on the opposite side of the spectrum. Perhaps he is overly saturating his mind with negative news. Like Dr. Lieberman said, he could be affected in ways that he doesn’t even realize—stress, anxiety, fear, addiction, weakened immune system, worsened sleep quality . . .
There are enough compelling reasons to have a conversation together on this topic and to make sure that we are both in balance and mentally healthy during this crisis.
Where do you find yourself on the spectrum of being informed . . . ignorant or overly saturated?
Check out this list of questions we can ask ourselves, our spouse, a friend, or family member to make sure that we are finding a healthy balance.
Guest author, Marci Renée, along with her French husband and four boys, is a global nomad who has traveled to more than 30 countries and has lived in the United States, France, Morocco, and Spain. She loves to travel, speak foreign languages, experience different cultures, eat ethnic foods, meet people from faraway lands, and of course, write and tell stories. She is a published author of children's picture books, memoirs, short stories, and poetry.
You can find Marci and her books on her website.
"The Cultural Story-Weaver," at www.culturalstoryweaver.com