News addiction linked to not only poor mental wellbeing but physical health too, new study shows
People with an obsessive urge to constantly check the news are more likely to suffer from stress, anxiety, as well as physical ill health, finds a new study published in the peer-reviewed journal Health Communication.
For others, being exposed to a 24-hour news cycle of continually evolving events can have serious impacts on mental and physical wellbeing -- as these new findings, out today, show, with those who have a high-levels of news addiction reporting "significantly 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,"
"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."
"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."
The results revealed that 16.5% of people surveyed showed signs of 'severely problematic' news consumption. Such individuals frequently became so immersed and personally invested in news stories that the stories dominated the individual's waking thoughts
According to McLaughlin, the findings show that there is a need for focused media literacy campaigns to help people develop a healthier relationship with the news.
"However, not only does tuning out come at the expense of an individual's access to important information for their health and safety, it also undermines the existence of an informed citizenry, which has implications for maintaining a healthy democracy
a healthy relationship with news consumption is an ideal situation."
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."