I feel as if every time I walk in a room and the news is on, something negative is being reported. But why? Why does it always have to be about killing and world conflicts? While these are important issues, I believe the media should at least find a place in between where they show equally both good and bad news. I was interested in the psychology behind this, so I decided to do a little research. I found that "negativity bias" factors into this issue. "Negativity bias" is described as a human's hunger to hear and remember bad news. After experiments, psychologists learned that humans respond and recognize negative words faster than positive words. Also, "most of us believe we are better than average." This is the same reason people stare at a car accident as they pass by. In that moment, they are better off than those involved in the accident. It seems as if humans as a whole are drawn more toward negative news, however, I am kind of tired of it. I know there is plenty of good news out there that the media chooses not to share. I wish there was more of a balance.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140728-why-is-all-the-news-bad
I really like this post because I too find it irritating that the news is always highlighting the negative. I think part of this is because the news caters to the viewer. I like the connection you made between how we crave negativity similar to us sticking our heads out the window to see a car accident. I don't know why we crave this negativity but obviously the news knows this and does this for a reason to keep the viewers engaged.
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