Here Are Two Ways News Psychologically Impacts You
In addition to keeping you informed of current affairs, the news psychologically affects your emotions and behaviour.
We keep ourselves up to date with what’s happening around the world through the news. Whether it is to check the match score, learn about the events occurring in your country, or even the latest developments in technology, fashion, real estate, etc., the news acts as the medium through which you are informed on current affairs or events.
In addition to providing this information, the news you consume impacts how you feel and behave.
Wondering how this happens?
Let’s delve deeper to find out.
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The Psychological Impact of News
To better understand the psychological influence of news, we have to explore, in detail, its effect on your emotions and behaviour.
How News Affects Your Emotions
According to various psychological studies, the news you consume can have a direct effect on your emotions.
How?
The majority of the news we consume tends to have a negative sentiment to it. That is according to a 2022 study by David Rozado and colleagues who analysed 23 million news headlines from 2000–2019 in the United States.
Their findings suggest that over the past couple of years, there has been a shift, with headlines containing more negative emotions such as fear, sadness, disgust, and anger. On the other hand, there is a significant reduction in those that contain neutral headlines.
And here’s the thing: how the news pieces are framed can affect our emotions. So negatively framed news affects us negatively.
Let’s look at an example. A study from 2019 looked at the tone of the news coverage of the Boston Marathon bombings and its effect on participants. By using several data points, including behavioural, physiological, and participant reports, they identified that the news that presented the events in a negative light had a detrimental effect on the participants.
And if one persistently consumes negative news, then they may also experience adverse effects on their mental health.
There is no better way to understand this than by looking into studies that were conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. During this period, a large number of headlines tended to be framed negatively, such that there was a greater emphasis on the number of people succumbing to the virus than those recovering from it.
In such times, when one exposes themselves to such news regularly, they begin to report worsening mental health. According to a recent study, such exposure amplified existing depression and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among people.
Aside from the pandemic, increased viewing of news based on traumatic events such as war is associated with feelings of anxiety, which are usually manifested in the form of extreme fear, difficulty sleeping, and hyperarousal.
The impact of news is not limited to negative news. Watching positive news stories can influence our emotions positively. For example, constructive articles that present solutions in addition to reporting the news are associated with higher positive emotions among readers.
Similarly, watching news stories about caring for the needy and volunteering leads to a better mood and restores the viewer’s belief in the goodness of humanity, according to a research paper.
With this understanding of positive news stories impacting us positively, you might begin to consider that an optimal way forward for news outlets is to incorporate positive headlines frequently.
Unfortunately, that is a solution for an ideal world because, despite its effect on us, in reality, negativity sells.
To put this in context, a recent investigation of the emotional content of words in news headlines revealed that for every negative word included in an average headline, its readership increased by 2.3%.
This shows us that we are drawn to reading negative headlines, which the news networks capitalise on. Therefore, expecting them to put out positive news stories might not be the ideal solution.
How News Influences Your Behaviour
Just like with your emotions, watching the news can also impact your behaviour. So viewing negative news can encourage negative behaviours. And this is supported by psychological research as well.
For example, studies suggest that viewing negative news articles lowers social trust or faith in people, which in turn can influence your helping behaviour.
This relationship between news and behaviour is even more pronounced in the context of fake news.
Ciara Greene and Gillian Murphy, in their 2021 study, wanted to understand if exposure to COVID-19-related fake news can result in behavioural changes among individuals.
The result?
When study participants were presented with a fictitious tale about privacy risks with a contact-tracing app, their willingness to download the app dropped by 5%. This shows that even a single exposure to a news piece is enough to cause changes in our intentions and behaviour. In many cases, this can occur unconsciously and in under 5 minutes.
At times, these effects on behaviour can take a dangerous turn, for example, by instigating violence and hate crimes. We all have witnessed at least one manifestation of this, including prejudice and negative attitudes towards refugees, Muslims, or Asian Americans at the height of the pandemic.
But the influence is not always negative.
Research has identified that adopting a positive or solution-focused approach to climate change in news reports, as opposed to a negative approach, can inspire pro-environmental action among viewers.
We can also see similar effects among children. When children were exposed to the news that showcased prosocial behaviour, such as UNICEF’s fundraising efforts, they demonstrated a greater willingness to contribute more to the organisation.
But what’s more interesting is that this influence of news on behaviour does not have to occur through news broadcasts (or hard news) that objectively present stories on international affairs, politics, economics, etc. Soft news sources, comprising daytime and late-night talk shows, also exert some influence.
In the context of voting behaviour, a study by Union College showed that 18–24-year-olds who viewed soft news programmes like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report showed an increase in civic involvement. That is, they were more likely to vote and take part in political debates with their peers.
What’s surprising is that this age group has been considered to be politically indifferent in the past.
All of these studies collectively highlight the powerful influence of news in various forms on shaping human behaviour.
How to Not Be Affected By The News
Given the prominent role that news plays in our lives, it might not be easy to avoid a negative news story. In many cases, the solutions to avoid might not be practical; a case in point is the prospect of publications using positive headlines.
So what can one do?
As opposed to expecting the change to happen at a macro level, we must begin by incorporating smaller changes at a micro level. With that being said, here are three steps you can take to minimise the effect that news has on your emotions and behaviour.
1. Be conscious of what you are consuming
In the era of 24-hour news, news networks are doing whatever it takes to grab eyeballs and maintain them. As a viewer, you must be aware that news no longer gets reported straightforwardly.
This is because networks could often increase the emotional content or sensationalise aspects of an otherwise normal story as a means to maximise viewership. Even reputed news outlets like the BBC or The Guardian might resort to this too.
You must therefore put conscious effort into recognising the effect the news is having on you and taking action to alleviate negative outcomes. These could include being selective about your news sources, talking out your feelings to your friends or family, and taking care of your health.
2. Tune into more positive news sources
If you notice the negative impact that news is having on you, then it is time for you to consider alternatives. One of them is to shift to sources that can provide the news to you in a positive or uplifting tone.
We recommend you take a look at media organisations like the Good News Network or Positive News, which are dedicated to showing the brighter side of things.
3. Limit your daily consumption
It is not advisable to completely cut yourself off from what is happening. According to psychologist Dr. Steven Stosny, doing this might be counterproductive. This is because once we withdraw from the news, our imagination of what the current events must be tends to be significantly worse than what is happening.
So what’s the solution?
Limiting your news consumption. Some steps that you can consider include turning off your notifications or creating certain times during the day in which you are allowed to check the news.
The news plays a very important part in our lives, acting as the single source we turn to stay informed and connected. News outlets therefore have the power to shape how we perceive these events. By using specifically framed headlines and content, they can impact not only our emotions but also our behaviours. As a result, we as viewers need to be aware of the vested interests of the news media while also trying to have a rational and unbiased opinion about events that happen around us.
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