22/04/2021
YOU ARE TRAUMATIZING YOURSELF, AND ESPECIALLY YOUR CHILDREN, BY WATCHING VIOLENCE AND DISASTERS ON TV (even if it’s in a movie!)
It seems like every day now that we are met with violence and tragedy, and my heart goes out to all of those who have been touched by all of the recent terrible events. Researchers continually find that the more you keep watching disturbing scenes, the more anxious you’ll become, often reaching a level where you form long-term traumatic memories. The best “protection,” according to dozens of neuroscientists: read the news, don’t watch it! Your brain cannot distinguish between fiction and reality when viewing violence on screen, even when it is in a movie about imaginary creatures hurting others (zombies, vampires, aliens) or even when politicians make threatening remarks. Here's some of the research and suggestions on how to protect your emotionally sensitive brain:
• If you find that you feel anxious or stressed after watching a news program, or if you feel you cannot turn off the television or participate in recreational activities, or if you have trouble sleeping, you should limit the amount and type of media coverage that you are viewing.
• Limit your viewing or reading of news at least an hour or two before bedtime.
• Read newspaper and journal articles rather than watching television.
• Do not rely on news from social media. Instead, look for multiple articles from different respected newspapers and fact check, fact check, and fact check again (it can take me 2 hours to find out what is really accurate or true about a single claim!).
• According the American Psychological Association, Early Exposure to TV Violence Predicts Aggression in Adulthood.
• “Exposure to violence in television, movies, video games, cell phones, and on the internet increases the risk of violent behavior on the viewer’s part just as growing up in an environment filled with real violence increases the risk of them behaving violently.” (Journal of Adolescent Health)
• “A metaanalytic review of the video-game research literature reveals that violent video games increase aggressive behavior in children and young adults. Experimental and nonexperimental studies with males and females in laboratory and field settings support this conclusion. Analyses also reveal that exposure to violent video games increases physiological arousal and aggression-related thoughts and feelings. Playing violent video games also decreases prosocial behavior.”
• Seeing violence on television can make adolescents and adults "immune" or numb to the horror of violence. They may begin to accept violence as a way to solve problems and imitate the violence they observe on television. Even watching a single act of violence can make a person more aggressive.
Scary, yes? I hope so.
NeuroTip: I recommend that for every minute you spend viewing, reading, or talking about anything negative, you spend a minimum of 3 minutes immersing yourself in positive thoughts, pleasant memories, and self-loving actions. Do this throughout the day whenever you find yourself ruminating on something that causes you to feel anxious, stressed, or depressed.