London – News about tragedies, natural disasters, and violent crime is nearly impossible to miss, but excessive consumption of negative information can have a huge impact on tragedies. sanity.
it’s called a habit apocalypse scrollincoming expression of “the apocalypse”, of destruction, of something dark; and “scrolling”, without rolling. well, apocalypse scroll is the tendency to swipe or swipe your smartphone screen following terrible news.
The app has been highly highlighted in the pandemic as there is a need to know the development of coronavirus related events around the world in real time. But scientists were already voicing their concerns about consuming high doses of bad news.
Why is it necessary to manage negative news consumption?
This apocalypse scroll It has a lot to do with the idea of addiction to social networks, which has yet to be proven by research. But it is also associated with a natural feature of man.
Being on alert for danger is part of our survival mechanism, says Christian van Nieuwerburgh, professor of Coaching and Positive Psychology at the Irish University of Medicine and Health Sciences, in an article on the academic portal. Speech.
He explains that the habit of consuming negative news is a way for the subconscious mind to gather information and be prepared to face the most diverse threats.
Scientific research in recent years has shown the negative effects of smoking. apocalypse scroll. Despite this, few people seem willing to throttle the app.
Nieuwerburgh points out why:
“First, it may not be a good idea to block the news in times of crisis. Second, most of us don’t respond well to being told what we can and cannot do.
Finally, being asked not to do anything can make things worse. It can push us into a negative frame of mind and make us less likely to change our behavior.”
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Studies find no evidence that social media is addictive or emotionally disturbing.
Expert says the best way to deal with “addiction” apocalypse scroll learning to manage it to lessen its effects.
After all, news of the pandemic, war and imminent climate disaster, among other negatives, will not disappear overnight.
Change must come from our interactions with them. To help with this, Professor Nieuwerburgh made five suggestions:
Choose how much time per day is devoted to news consumption
If you’re one of those people who wakes up and is already looking for the main news of the day on your cell phone or television, try to resist this urge by setting a time frame to catch up on the day’s news. It should be first thing in the morning.
When setting a daily time to keep yourself informed, try to stick to what is described and incorporate the practice into your routine, always avoiding social networks or tool websites to research what is going on.
Watch out for confirmation bias
The expert draws attention to the need to be aware of a trend that psychologists call “confirmation bias”. This is when we prefer information that supports our current beliefs or viewpoints.
So, sometimes we look for news that confirms what we already believe. Therefore, you must be aware of this tendency and your subconscious chooses what you read, not you.
If concerns about climate change matter a lot to you, perhaps reading the news about natural events that cause disasters (emphasizing changes in climate) fosters confirmation bias while also feeding people. apocalypse scroll.
Check the news source
In general, it is essential to know the source of any news, thought, research and text.
This helps to think: Who published this information? Why are they sharing this now? Are they trying to convince you of something? Are they trying to get you to think or act a certain way?
Knowing the answers to these questions will help you keep track of how you use and relate to the information collected.
In a polarized world, not everything is extreme.
Polarization exists in our lives: whether in politics or in the defense of personal behavior.
According to psychologists, “polarized thinking” is a cognitive distortion (an error in thinking) that can occur under pressure. It is the tendency to see things as “black or white” rather than accepting that we live in a world with many colors and shades of gray.
So when consuming the news, look for strong perspectives and be open about other opinions.
The selection and consumption of information representing different views can support this and weaken the temptation to seek information on just one topic or resource.
Set the focus on positive news
This apocalypse scroll It can be harmful because most of us are attracted to negative information. Psychologists call this the “negative bias.”
Nieuwerburgh explains that from an evolutionary perspective, it’s important to prioritize negative stimuli (threats like predators) over positive stimuli (enjoy the heat of a summer’s day).
To counter this trend, we can adopt a positive bias when consuming news. In practical terms, this means looking for positive news to balance the experience of staying current.
It is neither possible nor prudent to “exclude” news consumption from our lives, because knowing what is going on around us informs us and prepares us to respond if necessary.
But the practice apocalypse scroll Professor Christian van Nieuwerburgh says the urge to seek out negative information and gradually reverse it can be soothed by consciously realizing it.
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source: Noticias
