“Focus on the positive.” If you’re like most people, you’ve heard this cliché once or twice (or a million times). The unfortunate truth is that the world is full of negativity. In fact, it’s estimated that about 90% of all media news is negative. If negativity is what we’re constantly feeding our brains, it’s no wonder that we often find it tough to keep smiling.
What if … instead of focusing all of our attention on bad news, we made a conscious effort to consume more positive news? Just imagine what our world could look like. Would we be kinder, happier, or possibly more content with life? Here’s what we think!
Positive news is refreshing.
You know that breath of fresh air that comes in the open windows after a good rainstorm? Good news benefits you in the same way! Hearing something that makes you happy after only hearing about bad things for so long leads to a moment when all seems to be right in the world. What a sweet moment it is. Good for all of us, right?!
The best part is that the more you focus on the positives in life, the more your brain is wired to look for more positives in the future.
It gives us hope.
Our faith in humanity is restored when we read stories of people going out of their way to help others. It reignites our hope and makes us realize that just because there’s bad stuff in the world, positivity still exists!
Just think of the story about the person who left a $16,000 tip at a restaurant because they could. These are the stories that motivate us to be better—the type of news worth tuning in for.
Positive news, healthier you.
You can probably take a pretty good guess at the mental health benefits of positive news. Overall, it makes you more … positive! From a mindset perspective, this is helpful in fighting depression, regulating your mood, and keeping a generally good outlook on life.
What you (and lots of other people) may not realize is how good news can benefit your physical health. Adding more positivity into your life can literally lengthen your lifespan, increase resistance to the common cold (who knew!?), and improve your cardiovascular health.
Suddenly, the bad isn't so bad.
You’ll never be able to get rid of every single one of the negative aspects of your life—that’s just life. But one thing that positive news can do for you is make those negatives seem a lot less big and scary. News stations have been adding positive stories to the end of their broadcast to balance out some of the negative.
And, it’s not just watching the nightly news that can make the impact! Sharing positive news with a friend or family member can have this same effect. No matter what’s going on in their lives, that silver lining could carry the potential to turn their whole day around … and we can all agree that making someone else happy just feels good.
Now, it’s time for you to get out there and start filling your brain with some positive news! Good News Network and The Optimist Daily are two great websites that exist to give readers their daily dose of happy.
Remember, you are always in control of the media you consume. Whether it’s positive or negative is up to you!
