Ignorance is Bliss — Active Avoidance of Negative News for a Calmer Life
Ignorance is Bliss — Active Avoidance of Negative News for a Calmer Life
By Dr. Benjamin Metta Penhas, PsyD
From my perspective, the phrase “ignorance is bliss” can sometimes carry a negative connotation. But when put into the 21st century, ignorance might very well be bliss.
Our world today is full of negative information. It is hard to go more than a few hours without hearing or reading an upsetting headline. Politics, current events, sports, COVID, movie reviews, everything has negativity. I know very well that unless we commit to going completely ”off the grid,” there is no reasonable way to completely restrain ourselves from consuming news. Therefore, it is crucial to protect our mental health by limiting what information we are consuming, even if it makes us uninformed or ignorant. Never have we had to be so protective of our mental health, guarding ourselves 24-hours per day against constant threats. A stunning number of headlines tend to be negative rather than positive. Negativity sells! It may be normal but it is NOT natural to be constantly surrounded by today’s headlines.
One of Sigmund Freud’s most debated ideas has a strong foothold in the marketing world, his theory of the primary drives being sex and aggression. In fact, it is hard for me to think of any successful advertising campaign that does not use sex or aggression as a marketing tool. Even major soda companies who are marketing themselves to sell world unity and happiness (you know what I am talking about) sell the satisfaction and pleasure that can come from drinking their product on a hot day. Aggression catches our attention - negative news makes us feel something strong and activates parts of the brain that are also known for fear and anxiety. The parts of the brain associated with aggression have stronger emotional responses than that parts that are activated when we are calm, relaxed, and happy. This wires our brains to keep coming back for more negativity, to seek out negative news, and to react more strongly each time we are presented with these negative headlines.
Another reason to monitor how much news we are consuming is that the type and amount of information you absorb directly affects your mental health. Think about this from a food perspective. The better ingredients at the correct proportions that you eat, the better you feel. The more “junk food” you eat, the worse you typically feel —especially in the long term. Just as there’s leeway when it comes to consuming some “junk food,” it is also totally natural to consume some negativity through the news to stay informed. However, we must maintain boundaries and decide how much is too much for each of us and when we recognize an overconsumption of negative news, make changes to form healthier habits.
Other ways that over-consumption of news has been shown to have negative effects are:
Disruption to your sleep cycle.
Introducing unnecessary anxieties in your life.
Inhibits you from being in the present (you’re instead absorbed by what is happening elsewhere vs. your life).
Makes you feel hopeless, isolated, depressed.
Instilling a feeling of “doom.”
Here are five things you can do to avoid over-consumption of news:
Be pragmatic with your news consumption.
Schedule a time each day to catch up on the latest news and updates. From my experience the 5 o’clock news has the same information as the 6, 7, 8, and 11 o’clock news; there is absolutely no need to watch them all.
Make sure that this time is carved out far before your bedtime.
Monitor what you are consuming on your social media and ask yourself if it is truly essential for you to follow political pages or persons on your social media.
Listening to a news radio channel or podcast on your commute might be a way to allow you to stay informed without having to sacrifice other more important times in your life.
Detach from electronics.
As we know, news and negative information is everywhere, just changing the TV channel or switching apps is not enough. It is ok to carve out time in your life to be mindful, present, and in tune with yourself
It is ok to be occasionally uninformed.
Unless being up to date with news and current events is essential to your life, consider the possibility that sometimes it is ok to be uninformed. Catching up with the news should not feel like a chore. If your day was already exhausting enough, don’t add unnecessary pain (ignorance is bliss!).
Choose your news outlet thoughtfully.
There are news channels or news shows that are designed to keep their viewers watching by eliciting emotional (primarily negative) responses from their audience. When clicking through the channels it is hard to distinguish what is news and what is opinion or commentary. Choose a reliable news outlet that does not intentionally play on your emotions just to keep you watching.
Wind-down properly.
After watching negative news, one of the worst things you can do is try to engage in a meaningful activity or go to sleep. It is essential for you to wind-down, relax, and prepare to continue with your day or end your night. (Read previous blog article for tips on how to wind down before bed: https://www.wellnesstherapysd.com/blog/2021/8/15/the-art-of-winding-down-for-bed ).