RE: To what extent is the negative media, media biases responsible for depression? - Ecotrain Question of the Week
ah! love the inner duck meme. talented art i can get down with. i definitely agree with your perspective here.
Our brains are totally wired for negative news. We are far more likely to remember, say, where we were on 9/11 because of the negative imprint it makes on our mind.
this is very true. just as in personal life events (not just the news)... the challenging situations tend to stick... these sticky emotions. i do tend to think that the media does focus more on negative news. sure in our little circles there are bright moments and we can choose to focus on the good news, but honestly if you turn the tv on... at least "local news" stations all around the united states, you're gonna be bombarded with some pretty awful crap .i know this shapes many people's perspective of the world and they're very fearful because of it. little do they know that that's one sliver of reality... "but did you hear what happened on the news?!" great post, dear, happy to see you writing for the QOTW! just so you know the tag is ecotrain (you can't change the first one, but you will be able to add ecotrain as your 5th tag) and it's @ecotrain #ecotrain... which is confusing cuz @eco-alex has a hyphen but the others dont. much love! xx
Hah, I was lucky to even get dressed or spell psychology right this morning - thanks. Yes, the media does choose to focus on negative news because that's what sells. In the end Jamie did turn off and is much more selective about what he chooses to listen to these days. Not to say we don't read and be aware, we just can't wallow in it. I think it's a bit better if you KNOW that's what's going on, because then we can be more dismissive of it and less fearful and driven by it. I think that's what I want my students to know. Don't allow your perspective to be shaped by the mainstream media - be aware of it and how it works, and go searching for other truths out there and form a more informed vision of your world rather than one based on fear. And choose to switch off, too. Sometimes we just can't do anything about it - far better to just affect our local environments in the best way we can to make the best difference we can.
Thanks for encouraging me to write a response.