I admit I need help. I’ve always been a bit of a news junkie. I watch news on TV. I read it online and follow many of my colleagues here on Substack who comment on it daily.
But it’s become too much. With the fatal shooting of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, the ongoing hateful rhetoric, not to mention what recently happened in Venezuela and Davos with our NATO allies, I realize I’m in a news overload, and I question how this is affecting me, and all of you. I know it can’t be good.
I remember fondly growing up in a ‘USA bubble’, pledging allegiance to the flag each morning in school with great pride. I believed what I was taught about what the United States stood for. But in recent months, that belief has been shattered and I feel untethered and anxious.
In today’s always-on media environment, distressing headlines are no longer an occasional interruption, they’re a near-constant feed. Between breaking crisis coverage, social media notifications, and 24-hour news channels, many of us find ourselves repeatedly exposed to trauma we’ve never directly experienced: ICE violence, war, climate disasters, mass shootings, and political violence. While I believe staying informed is important, I’m not the only one feeling the trauma. Psychologists and neuroscientists are increasingly concerned that repeated exposure to traumatic news content can take a toll on our mental, emotional, and even physical health. Yes, I’m concerned.
The science behind this is growing clearer: it’s not just the content of the news itself, but the cumulative exposure, especially when it’s graphic or repeated over time, that shapes how people respond psychologically. How many video views do we need to see of Renee Good and Alex Pretti?
The Hidden Psychological Costs of Heavy News Consumption
A landmark study reported by the Association for Psychological Science found robust evidence that repeated exposure to vivid traumatic media images can have lasting negative consequences on both mental and physical health. In people who watched extensive TV coverage of traumatic events like the September 11 attacks, researchers found increased post-traumatic stress symptoms and even elevated physical health problems years later — even though these individuals weren’t directly affected by the event.
Moreover, data from ecological momentary assessment (EMA) research — where participants report on their experiences in real time — indicates that daily exposure to traumatic news (such as COVID-19 coverage) significantly increases worry and anxiety within the same day, which can carry into subsequent days as hopelessness and generalized worry. These effects are compelling because they show that even relatively short periods of exposure can shape emotional states in measurable ways.
Read the full article on Substack.com
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