News Avoidance - A Solution - 26 June 2026

Across the Western World right now, something researchers are calling “News Avoidance” (NA) is trending upwards.

And it’s growing fast.

But here’s the interesting part, the people avoiding the news tend to fall into two completely different groups.

On one side, you’ve got people who are less engaged, less analytical, and less equipped to process complex information.

And on the other side, you’ve got highly educated, the highly cognitive, people who think deeply, analyse constantly, and actually care about understanding the world.

Two groups. Opposite ends of the spectrum.

Both switching off.

Why?

Well, there are three big reasons.

First, the sheer volume of information.

We live in a world where news isn’t a daily update, it’s a constant stream, 24 hours a day.

For the first group, it’s boring. It doesn’t hold their attention.

For the second group, the thinkers, it becomes mentally exhausting because they don’t just watch the news… they process it.

They cross‑reference news stories and statements made.

They look for context, patterns, and contradictions.

And eventually, the brain just says "Enough!"

Second, the emotional tone of the news.

Most news is bad news.

Death.

Conflict.

Scandal.

Outrage.

The worst parts of human behaviour.

For the first group, there’s no emotional reward in watching it.

For the second group, it becomes a kind of dopamine trap, the constant drip of negativity keeps them hooked, but also drains them, and that leads to burnout, anxiety, and emotional fatigue.

Third, the sense of propaganda.

More and more people, especially the highly analytical, are noticing agendas. Some might say, THE Agenda!

Noticing omissions.

Noticing when something doesn’t add up.

If you have reasonable critical thinking skills, you can see the manipulation, but you can’t do anything about it, you slide into something psychologists call "learned helplessness".

You know what’s happening.

You know you can’t change it.

So you emotionally check out.

So what can we do?

Is there a solution?

Maybe the first step is simply acknowledging the problem.

Recognising that our minds weren’t built for a 24‑hour barrage of fear, outrage, and half‑truths.

Recognising that switching off isn’t ignorance, it’s actually self‑preservation.

Maybe the real challenge of modern life isn’t staying informed …

It’s staying sane while being informed.

And maybe, the healthiest thing we can do is reclaim our attention, choose our inputs carefully, and remember that the world is bigger, richer, and more hopeful than the news cycle ever shows us.

Limit.

Reflect on other things.

Mediation.

Avoid sensationalist outlets.

Be realistic.

Be optimistic.

Be hopeful.

Best wishes

Iain

#drbae

#selfimprovement

#personalgrowth