The Hidden Cost of Constant Headlines

How nonstop news is reshaping your mental health

When distressing events dominate the news cycle and social media, I’ve been able to predict with surprising accuracy which of my patients will have a stress reaction to what’s happening in the world.

Right now, we’re all at risk. If there was ever a time to slap on a Surgeon General’s warning for scrolling, that time is here: “The repeated consumption of news headlines and social media can be dangerous to your mental health. Please scroll responsibly”

The Science of Bad News

We live in a world that’s hyperconnected. You receive real-time, on-the-ground updates about events happening thousands of miles away while you sit in the comfort of your living room sofa. Your thinking brain, ruled by reason, understands this distance and geography. Your emotional brain, led by your amygdala, is biologically ill-equipped. Its main responsibility is ensuring your survival and self-preservation. By design, it perceives distant headlines as immediate threats. You rationally understand a distressing event is taking place far from home, but your brain’s stress center is still triggered.

Excessive scrolling can make your brain’s surveillance system go into overdrive. If you’re feeling increased anxiety, sleep problems, irritability, hypervigilance, mood swings, difficulty concentrating or a lack of energy, this could be why. If you’re struggling with the news headlines, you’re not alone. Your brain isn’t broken. In fact, your biology of stress is responding as it should.

You need a better way to manage the constant onslaught of information while protecting your mental health. Because scrolling less isn’t a nice-to-have theory, it’s a biological necessity. Overconsuming the headlines can have real mental health consequences, especially now.

Old science says you need to experience trauma firsthand in order to be traumatized. But new research finds you can be clinically traumatized without directly experiencing the traumatic event. In one US study, exposure to traumatic events in media increased the viewers’ personal risk of PTSD. These viewers developed real PTSD symptoms even though they lived thousands of miles away.

The takeaway? Excessive scrolling of distressing content influences your mental health and may increase your personal risk of PTSD.

I spoke to the psychologist, Dr. Roxane Silver, who conducted this study for my book The 5 Resets:

“It’s extremely important for the informed consumer to recognize that there may be psychological consequences to consuming all bad news all the time,” says Dr. Silver. “With increased media exposure, we see increased distress, anxiety, hypervigilance and other acute stress responses. The more distress they’re feeling, the more they’re drawn to the content. It’s a cycle.”

There’s a fine line between consuming and overconsuming media. Knowing your limits and becoming more intentional with your media consumption is the first step. “People can make a conscious choice to monitor the amount of time they’re spending engaged with the media without being immersed in it over and over again,” says Dr. Silver.

The fix? Stronger digital boundaries

Journalism is vital to our society, perhaps now more than ever. This isn’t about censorship, it’s about staying informed while also protecting your mental health. Digital boundaries can help. The goal of digital boundaries isn’t to become a digital monk. Science shows that it’s not about abstinence. Rather, it’s about decreasing your reliance on your devices that makes a measurable difference in your stress and mental health. Digital boundaries help you slow down your fight-or-flight response by dialing down the volume of your amygdala. In turn, your rational, thinking brain (aka your prefrontal cortex) can take charge again.

Try these science-backed hacks to minimize your scrolling time:

• Turn on grayscale mode. A black and white screen can curb your scrolling habit and help you avoid revenge bedtime procrastination. Read more about grayscale here.

• Practice “Stop-Breathe-Be” before starting a scroll session. Check in with yourself before engaging with the news. This helps you become more intentional with your media consumption.

• Keep your phone off your nightstand. Checking your phone first thing in the morning primes your brain for stress. Invest in a low-cost alarm clock instead.

• Swap one scroll session for an outdoor walk. Instead of scrolling for 20 minutes, take a walk unplugged instead. There are many mental health benefits to a daily stroll.

• Join the “Do Not Disturb” challenge. Set your phone to Do Not Disturb for 1 hour a day. Notice how often you reach for your phone out of habit and slowly train your brain to embrace quiet moments instead.

Your mental health reset: This week, try to create a few digital boundaries into your everyday life. Keep your phone off your workstation during the day, turn on grayscale in the evenings, or commit to a daily mental health walk offline. Do one thing daily to rewire your brain for less stress and more presence. If needed, talk to someone and get the support you need. For more on digital boundaries, check out my series “Building Healthier Phone Habits” on the Calm app and protect your mental health as you navigate the digital world.

Until next week,

Dr. Aditi Nerurkar