The last few years have given us an onslaught of terrible news 24/7. The whole world seems to be constantly on the verge of doomsday. War. Plagues. Recessions. And the best part is that this is how we tend to bookend our days.
I'll flip to my phone in the morning and usually start my day reading about the extinction of some adorable species I've never even heard of. To calm my mind before bed I'll read up on the latest terrible things some political leader did in a country that I don't even live in. All in the morally righteous idea that what I'm doing is integral to civilization, that I'm staying informed.
How dark were those days leading up to the Ukrainian invasion where thousands streamed the first missile strikes as they were cast over the border? How important is it for you to really see history unfold before your own eyes?
The psychologist Rolf Dobelli, who also wrote The Art of Thinking Clearly, recently came out with a book that puts this entire idea into question. Dobelli developed an addiction to the news. Whether it was Twitter, mainstream networks or the primitive newspaper. He began to notice the negative consequences of such and addiction and developed a radical abstinence in order to free himself from the news.
But why should you do the same?
YOU ARE READING
Stop Reading The News!
Non-FictionRolf Dobelli, why the news affects us negatively and how to avoid this.
