News addiction linked to poor mental, physical health, says study
Washington (US), August 28: People who have an obsessive desire to constantly check the news are more likely to suffer from stress, concern, and physical illness, suggest a recently conducted study.
The study has been published in the journal Health communication.
We have witnessed a series of concerning global events in the last two years, including the Covid pandemic, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, large-scale riots, mass shootings, and terrible wildfires. Reading unpleasant news might make many people feel temporarily powerless and worried.
For others, being exposed to a 24-hour news cycle of constantly changing events can have substantial consequences for mental and physical well-being; as these new data reveal, those with a high level of news addiction report "much greater physical ill-being."
"Witnessing these events unfold in the news can bring about a constant state of high alert in some people, kicking their surveillance motives into overdrive and making the world seem like a dark and dangerous place," Bryan McLaughlin, associate professor of advertising at the College of Media and Communication at Texas Tech University, stated.
"For these individuals, a vicious cycle can develop in which, rather than tuning out, they become drawn further in, obsessing over the news and checking for updates around the clock to alleviate their emotional distress. But it doesn't help, and the more they check the news, the more it begins to interfere with other aspects of their lives."
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McLaughlin and his colleagues, Dr Melissa Gotlieb and Dr Devin Mills, studied this phenomenon, known popularly as news addiction, by analysing data from an online poll of 1,100 US adults.
People were asked in the survey how much they agreed with statements such as "I become so absorbed in the news that I forget the world around me", "my mind is frequently occupied with thoughts about the news", "I find it difficult to stop reading or watching the news", and "I often do not pay attention at school or work because I am reading or watching the news".
Respondents were also asked how frequently they felt stressed and anxious, as well as how frequently they suffered from physical problems such as fatigue, physical pain, poor attention, and gastrointestinal disorders.
The findings revealed that 16.5% of those surveyed had 'severely problematic' news consumption. Such people were frequently so immersed and personally committed to news items that they dominated their waking thoughts, disrupted time with family and friends, made it difficult to focus on school or work, and contributed to restlessness and difficulty to sleep.
Even after controlling for demographics, personality traits, and total news use, persons with higher levels of problematic news intake were considerably more likely to experience mental and physical ill-being than those with lower levels.
"While we want people to remain engaged in the news, it is important that they have a healthier relationship with the news," McLaughlin says.
"In most cases, treatment for addictions and compulsive behaviours centres on complete cessation of the problematic behaviour, as it can be difficult to perform the behaviour in moderation."
"In the case of problematic news consumption, research has shown that individuals may decide to stop, or at least dramatically reduce, their news consumption if they perceive it is having adverse effects on their mental health," he adds.
Furthermore, the report emphasises the need for a broader discussion about how the news industry may be exacerbating the problem.
"The economic pressures facing outlets, coupled with technological advances and the 24- hour news cycle have encouraged journalists to focus on selecting "newsworthy" stories that will grab news consumers' attention," McLaughlin said.
"However, for certain types of people, the conflict and drama that characterize newsworthy stories not only grab their attention and draw them in but also can lead to a maladaptive relationship with the news. Thus, the results of our study emphasise that the commercial pressures that news media face are not just harmful to the goal of maintaining a healthy democracy, they also may be harmful to individuals' health."
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-PTC News with ANI inputs
