If you or someone you know seems addicted to negative news, it's not by accident—it's by design!
   When media correspondents amplify various strategies of media literacy or media ecology in a negative way, they influence our perception of reality. The information presented in the media can make people question how they feel or view the world. 
   This methodology often triggers a reaction in the brain that releases neurotransmitters such as dopamine and adrenaline, creating an addictive cycle of engagement with the news.
   Preferred Health Magazine spoke with the prolific psychologist Dr. Jeff Gardere, also know as "America's Psychologist," about why negative news taps into our brain negatively making viewers more attentive to adverse information and how we can change this behavior. 

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Preferred Health Magazine: Why can negative news be so addictive for people?
Dr. Jeff Gardere: Whether it’s good news or bad news, we release adrenaline, and that adrenaline, you know, gives us a form of excitement, which can become very addictive. It also releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which likes that surge of excitement. It will then react to either good or bad news to release this dopamine, which feels like this neurotransmitter that says, “Oh, that felt good. Do it again!" whether it’s the good or bad news. Typically, it’s dopamine, but there is also the possibility of what we call other excitatory neurotransmitters, including epinephrine.

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PHM: Once negative news becomes addictive, what are some of the prolonged effects that can happen if we stay in this frame of mind?           
Dr. Jeff: Well, as we know, when we have this constant adrenaline rush, let’s deal with that; okay, that constant adrenaline rush begins to break down. And you know, this begins to break down our internal organs because you can’t stay in the fight-and-flight pattern for long without getting physically ill, right? That’s why people start talking that they’re getting sick because of what they’re hearing about, you know, negative news, especially around particular politics that we are experiencing. 
   As far as the dopamine, just like with any drug. We’re dealing with two systems:  the epinephrine flight, fight, and dopamine. 
Then, the dopamine may be released because, in some ways, we can get high. Some of the news we hear is good news or bad news. And so, we like that drama to some extent. The other part of it is, just like drugs, we develop a tolerance. So we need more of the drug to achieve that high and release it as dopamine. 
   And what happens is we become habituated to the bad news, and that’s why people get away with the outrageous things they’re doing politically because we hear so much of it. We ingest so much of it that after a while, we're like, "yeah, really, what’s next? What next? What’s next?" And politically, that’s very dangerous. However, just talking about that dopamine, what happens is just like drugs, where you need more of it to get that high, like with this bad news. You know, we become habituated, and therefore, we put up with it. And politically, that’s when people get away with bad things. 

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PHM: What are some of the signs when someone is addicted to negative news?                              
Dr. Jeff: They look for it all the time. They’re constantly ingesting the media, whether it’s print, online, digital, television, or social media. Then, when you try to turn it off, just like with our kids and their devices, they may become upset because they can’t watch it on their screen.

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PHM: Is it classified as a behavioral addiction?                                                                                     
Dr. Jeff: It’s not a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) or International Classification Disorder Addiction (ICDA), but it would fit the pattern of an addiction. We’re becoming accustomed to it, and that’s why sometimes we need more and more of the news. But we tell people don’t give up the good fight. Horrific things are happening in the world right now and in the United States. That’s why it’s essential. You have to take a break from the bad news every once in a while. 

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PHM: What are some strategies a person can do to reduce the consumption of negative news?          

Dr. Jeff: Try as much as possible not to personalize it, even though it’s hard to do this task. Also, be aware of using more of our cognitive and conscious abilities to look at what is going on objectively rather than subjectively. In other words, be smart about what you consume and read between the lines.

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PHM: But are there any specific therapies or techniques where a person can break 
this kind of habit?                                                                                                                                     
Dr. Jeff: If it interferes with your personal, occupational, professional, and relationships, you must break that habit. I would say the best way to do that is to begin to wind down the amount of news that you take in every day, regardless of whether it’s good news or bad news. Give yourself breathers between what it is that you’re consuming, as far as news. 
   When you feel that you’re getting upset by what you’re reading, get the information and turn it off. Discuss it with a loved one, discuss it with a family member, or what have you, you know, decompress by being able to talk about it, by maybe breathing a little. Go from the news to one of our crazy reality shows, maybe a movie, or something that you know changes the subject; read a good book, listen to music. There’s a lot we can do to get away from the toxic effects of bad news. 

PHM: How do we make sure negative news doesn’t affect our mental health?                             
Dr. Jeff: I think the best way to do that is if we find ourselves constantly tired, and that’s because of that constant fight and flight of that bad news, if we find that we’re not able to focus on our relationships, if we discover that we’re getting more depressed, or that we just have a negative view of things, where we are becoming anxious; or if we are behaving in a way that is not nice to other people. That’s a clear indicator that we are not doing well. If we find that we’re not able to sleep as well because of what we’re thinking about from watching the news, we’re drinking more to try to bring down those emotions. Those are all sure signs.

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