The last few years have seen an increasing number of war-related incidents reported in the media. There has been plenty of coverage of the Ukraine war, the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and more recently the war between the U.S. and Iran. There is a lot of coverage, often violent in nature and with graphic images of destruction. The war comes alive in the media, making it feel as if it is on our doorstep. Whilst people often think that reading about ongoing wars is part of everyday life, they don’t necessarily expect that it can affect them in a detrimental manner.
When it relates to you
Some war reporting is clearly directly relevant to individuals. Perhaps they were born in a war-torn country or maybe have friends or family residing in an area affected. I have several friends that have shared their distress of hearing about areas in which they were brought up being damaged by drones and missiles. Unsurprisingly, they often hang on every word presented in the media and it makes them upset.
However, you don’t necessarily need a close connection to the countries affected by conflict to feel stressed by media reports. When unusual or stressful events take place, it is normal for people to turn to the media for information.
Individual differences
Studies have found that older adults are vulnerable to war exposure in the media. They often experience higher stress and anxiety levels than younger individuals. People’s ability to regulate their emotions can also play a role in how likely they are to experience anxiety about war reporting, something that is even applicable for those living in countries engaged in war.
The need to continuously seek out media-related information can also be affected by personality. For example, agreeableness (which is part of the Big Five personality model) has been found to be loosely correlated with excessive online scrolling for distressing news. As an agreeable personality reflects how friendly and compassionate a person is in social interactions, it is not all that surprising that their empathetic nature will make them more likely to worry about the well-being of those involved in wars.
Try to limit exposure to war news
It is normal to experience stress and anxiety, especially when it may seem as if the world is turning into chaos. It is also normal to want to find out more about what is going on and continue to watch news coverage of the ongoing events. Thus, overindulging in media consumption can become an unwanted vicious circle. It can be difficult to avoid, as people are continuously exposed to news through online scrolling, television, social media, and radio.
Doomscrolling, in particular, tends to be bad for you. This is when people engage in compulsive, repetitive consumption of negative content online. This can include checking your phone first thing in the morning, throughout the day, and even just before going to bed.
However, moderation is important and rather than obsess about it, you often need to take a step back and distance yourself from it. It tends to be better to stay away from social media, as it often means that people are exposed to graphic images or videos that can cause further distress if seen repeatedly.
If you want to know what is happening, it is better to seek out news resources that present the information in a non-graphic and inflammatory way. Try to focus on information that is verified rather than on speculative information, which is often the case on social media. Engaging in partial news avoidance may also be better for your well-being. So if you can, maybe only read the news once a day.