Problematic news consumption harms both mental and physical health. In an online survey of 1,100 US adults, 73.6% of those with severely problematic news habits reported frequent mental and physical health problems. Among everyone else, it was 8%.
Summary: With new technology and more use of devices, people are exposed to a constant flow of information. Some people take in too much news. So many people now have problematic news habits. The new study shows this causes not only mental health problems but also a big rise in physical health problems. If you or someone you know struggles with problematic news habits and their effects on mind and body, think about getting help from online substance abuse treatment or telehealth programs. These programs can also provide opioid addiction treatment for people with addiction-like behavior toward the news.
We live in turbulent times, with a lot going on around us. The covid pandemic is still going on, and there is a raging war in Ukraine. The world economy has grown more unstable. Reading bad news most of the time can make people feel helpless and upset. Technology makes this problem worse. We live in the information age, so people are fed information nonstop. In the end, many of us get hooked on our devices and take in news and other information far too often. This leads to chronic stress. It is easy to guess that this hurts mental health. But studies show the effects of problematic news habits are far more serious. They cause mental health problems and also harm physical health.
Following the news nonstop can leave us overexcited. It may raise the body’s fight-or-flight activity and, with it, stress hormones. Reading all the news all the time may also change how we see things. We may start to see the world as a small, dark place. It may fill us with hopelessness.
For many people, the news becomes addictive. Instead of taking a break, they take in the news even more. They check for updates all the time and become obsessed. It is much like substance addiction, where people need a dose of news to stay in a certain state of mind. In time, the obsession starts to get in the way of life and daily tasks.
To see how serious the problem is, researchers ran an online survey of 1,100 US adults. People answered multiple-choice items like “I often do not pay attention at school or work because I am reading or watching the news,” and so on. They also said how often they felt stress and anxiety. Researchers also looked at physical symptoms like tiredness, pain, trouble focusing and stomach problems.
Researchers studied the data and found that about 16.5% reported “severely problematic” news habits. These people were too wrapped up in news stories. The stories took over their thoughts and disrupted their lives. They had trouble focusing on work and even trouble sleeping. Not surprisingly, they were also more likely to have mental and physical health problems.
When asked about mental and physical health problems, 73.6% reported frequent problems. Among those without problematic news habits, it was just 8%. So the difference is large. And 61% of those with problematic news habits reported frequent physical health problems, compared with just 6.1% of all other people in the study.
The results were what researchers expected. What surprised them was how huge the gap was between people with problematic news habits and everyone else.
Of course, survey studies are not seen as strong studies. They have many limits. But the gap in mental and physical health problems was so large that this study was an eye-opener. We all need to be aware of it. Getting addicted to the news seems to have many bad effects. It is not just bad for mental health. It can also cause many physical health problems. The study also shows that news presenters who dramatize events are doing real harm. News outlets are under heavy money pressure. Still, it is time to see that their tactics are doing real damage to society.
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