Positive news is good for your health.

It’s undeniable: “Studies have linked the consumption of bad news to increased distress, anxiety and depression, even when the news in question is relatively mundane. According to Graham Davey, professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Sussex, exposure to bad news can make personal worries seem worse and even cause ‘acute stress reactions and some symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder that can be quite long-lasting’.” So it’s important for well-being to protect the brain against bad news, and some psychologists affirm that “cultivating optimism can help enhance the brain’s defences against bad news,” as stated in the Canadian Medical Association Journal article titled “Protecting the brain against bad news.”

Bad news affects your mental health.

News reports of traumatic events and war in particular can affect people’s mental health. As described by the non-profit media outlet network The Conversation, “News of the war [in Ukraine] has compounded feelings of fear and uncertainty which are known to increase anxiety.” Many people who experience or hear about a traumatic event go into stress mode. That’s because “our physiology is triggered to release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline,” says Susanne Babbel, a psychotherapist and expert in trauma recovery. Today’s constant exposure to negative news bulletins “can derail our ability to cope healthily and hinder our ability to return to a relaxed state.”

A 2022 study reveals that the “proportion of headlines denoting anger, fear, disgust and sadness” grew substantially in the United States between 2000 and 2019. At the same time, an international survey by the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism demonstrates that trust in the news is falling and the number of people avoiding news is increasing. The reason given is that it has “a negative effect on their mood.”

A negative mood causes negative thinking, which “makes you feel blue about the world, about yourself, about the future. It contributes to low self-worth. It makes you feel you’re not effective in the world,” as the Cleveland Clinic puts it. And negative thinking is linked to “depression, anxiety, chronic worry and obsessive-compulsive disorder.”

Positive news helps to understand the bigger picture.

Does that mean we must ignore bad news? No, but it means that media outlets – television, newspapers, radio, digital platforms – must disseminate a more complete picture of the news – the good along with the bad. War is terrible, but the real picture of war is one in which the focus is not just on injury and death but also on courage, assistance, hope, and vitality.

Take the case of medics on the Ukrainian front line. Before the Russia-Ukraine war, Ukrainian doctors and paramedics were doing their jobs as anesthesiologists, surgeons, nurses, etc., in civilian hospitals. When the invasion began in 2022, their lives changed enormously. Yet they have worked courageously and tirelessly to help their communities, some amid rocket fire. At the same time, many civilians decided to serve their country. The New York Times has reported that “People volunteered to stitch camouflage nets for soldiers. Grandmothers made Molotov cocktails.” It’s grim, but it also shows determination, courage, action, and strength. 

Good news is good for your health.

One among many studies has found that people who consume positive news articles experience a greater sense of well-being than people who read negative news. Seeing, hearing, and reading positive news generates hormones that make us feel happy: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, and endorphins. These lower blood pressure, improve mental health, and reduce the likelihood of certain chronic diseases.

Undeniably, we all need hope and inspiration. Positive news provides exactly that. Highlighting good news brings to the fore actions that have led to important achievements and the work of insightful individuals. It can convey solutions to global challenges and may offer experts’ suggestions as to what we individuals can do to help solve a challenge. That can inspire us, uplift us, and make us feel good.

And, as Mark Pollock has commented: