Exposure to Negativity

The vast majority of people either watch, listen to, or read "the news" on a regular basis.

"The news" paints a picture of a terrible world where mostly negative things happen. This is because fear keeps people watching.

"The truth", as it is claimed by the news is just a journalist's interpretation of something they likely don't fully understand, and which has been framed in a way to invoke the maximal emotional response. 

You will have seen time and time again that the media exploit people's emotions to get more views - notice if someone is crying in an interview, the camera pans to their face.

The world is a better place than it is portrayed to be through the media - we as humankind are making progress for the better and the world has never been a better place to live - despite what those who grew up in the 80s may believe through their romanticised memory.

We are led to believe the world is a bad place because this is what we see on "the news" -  this is what is available to us - this is known as the availability heuristic, the tendency to believe that what you see is all there is.

Next time you expose yourself to "the news", keep in mind why they do what they do, and don't be led to believe the world is such a horrible place.

Misinformation is more rampant than ever – know the source of information and question everything. 

“I prefer a question I cannot answer over an answer I cannot question” - Richard Feynman