Ever feel like you’re drowning in the relentless tide of negative news?  Narrow and broadcast media channels clamour for our attention, with clickbait headlines screaming about everything that is wrong with the world – violence, climate disasters, divisive politics. For many, our mental health, a precious resource is being whittled down by the daily barrage of doom and gloom. 

I’m an academic in positivity and laughter – no joke. However, I’ve recently found my positivity challenged. Being Jewish, and an individual who abhors violence on innocents, regardless of creed, colour, or ethnicity, October 7 and the war in Gaza has taken a toll. The relentless barrage of bad news has been pulling me into the mire of negativity.

However, it does not have to be this way. Rather than spending endless hours doomscrolling and feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders, I’ve pivoted, putting to practice the theory of cheerscrolling. This antidote, now recognised in the urban dictionary thanks to Marcus Gordon, Inclusion Editor at Idea Spies, offers a reprieve, buoying our mood rather than burying it.

Cheer scrolling, a remedy for doom scrolling embraces diverse positive news stories, ranging from progress in green technology, healthcare innovations or inclusive AI. Lynn Woods, Founder of Idea Spies, a repository of such stories, suggests steering clear of news or social media that induces anger or upset, choosing instead content that leaves you feeling cheerful. Positive news not only gratifies our enjoyment, but also triggers hormones linked to wellbeing, such as Dopamine, which activates our brain’s reward centre, Oxytocin, which fosters trust, Serotonin, which acts as a natural antidepressant and Endorphins, which manage pain. This positive influence, provides a DOSE of wellbeing,helping downregulate stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. 

Prolonged exposure to negative images, experiences and stories may lead to anger, anxiety, depression and foster disconnection amongst people. Dr David Fryburg, President of Envision Kindness, warns of a sense of helplessness, hopelessness, and diminished trust – emotional states associated with heightened levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, contributing to inflammation and decreased immune function. The longer you succumb to rabbit holes of darkness the worse you will tend to feel.

While news satiates our desire to stay well-informed, the devil is in the detail of what we consume. Journalism, as noted by Harvard professor Steven Pinker appeals to our built-in negativity bias. We are hardwired for environmental threats. According to Peter Diamandis, founder of the US company Singularity University, we pay 10 times more attention to negative news than positive news. News is about what happens – the sudden and often devastating events. Sensational stories sell. However, achieving balance is key, not only in reporting. Negative news activates our amygdala, the region of our brain primarily associated with emotional responses. 

Positive events (enhanced access to education in a remote community, re-emergence of an endangered species, diversity in the Arts or literature), although more frequent than negative ones, tend to be gradual and unexciting.  They don’t fit the mould of sudden and sensational (a war, natural disaster or an epidemic). Because they’re not linked to our survival, they tend to be more of a whisper than a holler in our brain. No existential threat, no flashing lights, no interest. Or as neuropsychologist Rick Hanson explains, the brain is like Velcro (sticky) for the negative and Teflon (slippery) for the positive. For psychological resilience, exposure to positive images or happenings can hold even greater significance.

It's not only what we consume, but what we share. Academics Gable and Reis, describe ‘capitalization’, the sharing of good news and fortunate situations, creating a positive ripple effect.  Conversely sharing negative news ripples out fear and anxiety. The damaging impact of media on mental health is increasingly being realised. Thirty-three US States are suing Instagram and Facebook over fears that its platforms’ “addictive” features are harming teens’ mental health. Attorney general for New York, Letitia James, one of the states involved in the federal suit, asserts that social media companies, including Meta, must be held accountable for contributing to a national youth mental health crisis and profiting from children’s pain.

Embracing balance is the key. To acknowledge negative events and be informed to your own comfort level. However, we can get stuck in a negative “comfort” zone. Media academics McIntyre and Gibson identify three types of news stories that impact readers’ emotional wellbeing, perceived wellbeing and sharing intentions: negative, positive, and silver lining. Positive news makes people feel good, and silver lining stories – ones that highlight a positive outcome of a negative event, may present a way for media to provide affective benefit, reporting negative news, whilst expanding a more optimistic perspective on the world. Some news platforms recognise the need for balance offering dedicated sections to positive news including The Huffington Post, ABC Good News, and other entire dedicated platforms, such as the Good News Network and IdeaSpies. 

More than ever I’ve been compelled to realise that we must take responsibility for the content we allow into our minds.  The Dalai Lama recently emphasised this, noting that solely focusing on negative news fuels a sense of hopelessness and the perception, portraying all humanity as bad, without hope for our future. This responsibility also extends to informal news messengers – friends, family or colleagues who may inadvertently immerse you in despair. There’s no need to get off the grid. Instead shift planes. Take ownership of your time and with whom you share it. If at the end of the day you feel worse off, transition from doom to bloom and cheer scroll. Or tune into your favourite sitcom or share a funny meme – anything that inspires a smile, laugh, or sense of ease and breaks the cycle of darkness. This is vital not only for our mental health but also to inspire a more optimistic, trusting world. 

By Ros-Ben Moshe

Ros Ben-Moshe is adjunct lecturer in the School of Public Health and Psychology at La Trobe University. Her latest book is, “The Laughter Effect – How to Build Joy, Resilience and Positivity in Your Life.”