In many cases, continued media exposure of shocking news can promote states of anxiety and anguish based on fear. We have a clear example of this in the current media situation regarding the war in Ukraine. Or not long ago, in the first months of the pandemic.
The images shown are shocking and generate fear. If several cognitive biases also come into play, we have an explosive mix.
Let’s see, first of all, what biases are. They are something like mental shortcuts that our brain takes to save resources. In this case we are interested in two biases that are triggered by the continuous bombardment of images and news.
The availability bias
This bias works when we rely excessively on the information available. To explain it in simple terms, if my neighbor won the lottery, I will tend to believe more that he can win the lottery too, even though statistically it is unlikely that two neighbors will win. But with this bias we believe that something is more likely to happen given our familiarity with the situation.
Frequency bias
The frequency bias It occurs when we look at something and, therefore, it seems more common to us than it really is. For example, when we change cars or we like a specific model, it will give us the impression that there are more models like that circulating on the roads.
These biases increase familiarity and perception of risk in a situation that is not very common. Both biases, along with the images displayed, trigger a primary emotion in us, which is fear. When we cannot regulate this emotion properly, anxiety or distress states appear.
That powerful emotion, fear without being properly managed, leads us to blockage and to have responses that are not adaptive and that hinder our daily life, sometimes to the point of making it unbearable.
Feeding fear and anxiety
Generally, fear provokes three classic responses in us: fight, flight or block. There is talk of a fourth that we humans exhibit, which is submission in relationships, but it is not the objective of this article. In the current situation we cannot fight or flee, so the anxiety responses that feed on fear paralyze us or lead us to non-adaptive behaviors that are executed to try to mitigate the discomfort.
Anxiety is fueled by fear, is their primary food. And paradoxically, the more we try to avoid fear, the stronger it is. The answer at the level of internal emotional management is to give space to that fear; This can be learned to do within a therapeutic process and at an external behavioral level, stop feeding it through self-care, protecting ourselves.
In the pandemic, fear was put into the population’s bodies to achieve citizen collaboration; If we compare the informative treatment of the last waves in which there were also deaths, on the one hand, with the first ones, on the other, there is no color. But the level of perceived threat was much higher in the first waves compared to the last ones.
The idea of being informed is often confused with the idea of being inundated ; The media these days seem to function by continually flooding about one topic, until they move on to the next.
And what can we do?
Since we are ordinary citizens, it is not in our hands to cause or stop wars or volcanic eruptions, no matter how much we worry or don’t care.
First of all, we can take care of ourselves and protect our mental health limiting excess information or repeated exposure to shocking news.
Is it necessary to watch the news twice a day? No, especially if you notice that it affects your mental health and mood.
We are not talking about being hermits, just about taking care of ourselves by setting limits on what we can do. The treatment is similar to what we can do with social networks if we feel that they affect us excessively, consciously limiting our exposure to them.
If you want to be informed, it is important that you find a way to decide for yourself when you want to be informed, that is, controlling access to information yourself.
And you will tell me: What if there is a super important key news? I bet you find out, even if you don’t see the news they will tell you about it. Or when you decide to inform yourself, you will see it.
On the other hand, sometimes, when our resources are overwhelmed, it can be useful seek support from specialized professionals such as psychologists, psychiatrists or doctors in order to resume our life.
