Why news is bad for us?

On average, human gobbles down roughly 60 news items every day across various sources - newspaper, magazines, articles, videos and so on. Gone are the days of reading newspaper with a cup of coffee and watching the evening news updates to know the latest events across the globe. With the advent of internet, news reaches us faster than ever before. We don't have to find the news. News will find us. No matter wherever you are. Thanks to digital media, news consumption has increased three-fold now.

Does this wealth of information in the form of news make us a better individual? Does the torrent of news help us make better decisions in life? Have you chosen radical path because of news consumption? I have jotted down some of the underlying factors why news is bad for us.

Do those who read newspaper are well-informed and knowledgeable?

For a long time, those who read newspaper were revered as the most radical, thoughtful person. There is illusion that those who read news have better understanding of the world. But the opposite is true. The relationships between the world knowledge and the consumption of news are inverse. Far more knowledge is attained when the background context of particular subject are more abstract, complex and non-linear. News items were made simpler and tailored to easily digest in your mind. They don't go deep over a subject rather broad. The news items with greater fanfare add more value to the adverts financing the media. And these glossy, breaking news in no way improve your knowledge. 

Looking out for a source that will help you improve your understanding and knowledge of any subject? Without a second thought, Go for books and well-researched long articles. Books outweighs news media and the one who reads valuable books have competitive advantage over the rest. My remarks weren't meant to offend the news consumers, rather to correct their perception of the news. Thomas Jefferson, one of the founding fathers of modern America, realized this," The man who never looks into newspaper is better informed than those who read them".

News is waste of time

Most of the news articles are free of cost. Nothing is free, and when something is, it usually comes with expectations of intangible returns. You are trading your precious time for news consumption. Remind you, there is no free lunch on wall street. Seneca, the most significant philosopher in the roman empire at the time, warned that, "We're tight-fisted with property and money yet think too little of wasting time - even though time is the only commodity with which we really ought to be misery".

Let's suppose that your workplace is where you are. You need to relinquish your soul in the middle of work. Putting your stressful task aside for a while, you entered into news site to know the latest events around the world. Once you are done reading the content of your choice, you are tempted to click on the glossy and fancy hyperlinks. Here begins a constant battle between your will power to resist clicking the link and the temptation to weaken it, and finally, temptation gets the upper hand. Eventually, you have pressed the link and this cycle of temptation continues until the willpower wins you back. Once you've returned to work, your brain requires some time to refocus on the work. Where exactly did you leave off? What was the next thing you are going to do before the news hogged your attention? Refocusing alone robs you of 2-3 minutes each and every time.

Is news heavily-biased?

Clay A. Johnson has remarked, "For every reporter in the US, there are more than four public relation specialists working hard to get them to write what their bosses want them to say".

Hundred years ago, the American writer Upton Sinclair wrote, "when you read your daily paper, are you reading facts or propaganda?"

In India, most of the news channel, newspaper are owned by political parties, highly influential individuals. Expecting unbiased news from them is unrealistic. False propaganda of Ache din and Dravidian model was used to deceive people. It's high time we understand the ground reality and protect ourselves against these fake news and false propaganda. As a common individual, it's hard to distinguish between truthful, unbiased news and those with manipulative, biased content. Abstinence from watching the news is the only go to solution to discard the fake news.

One such classic example of fake news is the testimony of Kuwait nurse named Nairayah in the UN council. She claimed that she saw Iraqi solider killing the newborn babies in a Kuwait hospital. This caused massive public outrage across America which triggered the outbreak of the devastating Gulf war in 1990s. Later, it was proved that she provided false testimony in favor of Kuwait govt and the CIA. A false propaganda and fake news led to one of the most devastating wars in the late 20th century.

News reshapes your brain

Our brain consists of 86 billion nerve cells interconnected by more than hundred million synapses. For a long time, scientist believed that the brain reaches its full growth once it reaches adulthood. In the recent time, however, with the torrent of news raining down on us, the brain constantly changes its shape. Brain routinely loses a connection and creates a new connection. News rewires us.

Research conducted by the University of Tokyo observed that the more frequently a person consumed different media at the same time, the fewer brain cells that are responsible for attention, impulse control. When you watch a news junkie, you can figure out his concentration span shrinks.

The more news you consume, the more you encourage the formation of neuronal circuits adapted to multitasking. However, the circuits necessary for deep reading and deep though will shrink.

Detoxing the brain is necessary to regain the skill of concentration and deep reading. Ditch news to cleanse your brain. The sooner you start, the sooner you will regain focus.

How does the media promote terrorism?

Imagine this, world without press. A bomb goes off in a crowded area, killing hundreds and destroying properties. The routine life of the locals was affected due to the explosion. However, throughout the period of explosion, the other parts of world would continue to perform the usual day-to-day activities. The rest of the world have little or no information about the bomb explosion. Thanks to no media coverage over the aftermath of bomb explosion. The people never stopped to fear about the terrorism and its catastrophe effect.

Let's talk about the current real news mania world.  Round the clock, the media gives extensive coverage about the terrorist attack to the public across the globe. The main goal of a terrorist in planting a bomb is not to kill a few people, but to instill fear throughout the world as a result of the explosion's impact. By publicizing the attack, the media facilitates the terrorist's job of instilling fear. Breaking news, top news showcasing torrent of horrific aftermath visuals, front line reports cause panic in every corner of the world. Media generates revenue by selling terrorism to the public. 

Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari has remarked, "Terrorist kill very few people but nevertheless manage to terrify billions. The theatre of terror cannot succeed without publicity. Unfortunately, the media provides this publicity for free".

If you consume the news, just be aware you are unintentionally supporting terrorism.

Bottomline

News is to mind what sugar is to body. News destroys the peace of mind. Read the comments under the online articles. The hatred you find there brings the worst in humanity. Any type of content - novels, non-fictions, books, films, music, art, essays is a better conduit for wisdom than the news. New-free diet brings the best in you. Our brains are full of crap news. We need to cleanse them, detoxify them and free them of junk.  Let us live in a world free from fear, toxicity, hatred by abstaining the news.

You are not convinced yet. Are you embarrassed about missing important global events when you are newsfree. Well, go ahead and subscribe any reliable magazines with well researched contents that could satisfy your hunger for knowledge of current affairs. If you are frugal with your time, try for biweekly editions.

Reference: Stop reading the news - Rolf Dobelli

Video Reference: 

How to make friends and inspire people - Part 1: Organize your arguments

People are absurd, jerks, wrong-headed, strongly opinionated. They have an irrational thought process. With these beliefs ingrained in your mind, you decide to go out and meet new people. Unfortunately, you are going to have a really bad day.  Without the help of others, you can't pull off the competition in business or challenging tasks at work. Yes, there are plenty of jerks around the world. However, the fear of ending up with bad people always makes no sense.

Warren Buffett, the big dog in the stock market, was once asked a question, "How you'd succeeded in your business?". "Well", he replied, "I do business with good people. That's the reason I have been able to persist in this business for so long. " His statement makes sense. When you are surrounded by good people, you can enrich your life. When you end up with bad ones, your life becomes miserable.

So, how do these successful people influence and make friends with the good ones? Next time you are out looking for those good people, kindly consider this article as a life parable on how to make friends and influence people who are thoughtful and intelligent.

How do unproductive arguments make the environment hostile?

Over the years, try to recollect the arguments you had in your work place, at home, or in any public place. Eventually, you end up remembering far more embarrassing arguments than the good ones. Arguments that hurt your pride and feelings take a deep dive and remain in your heart as unhealed wounds.

Charlie Munger once said, "How you behave in a place, will help in surprising ways later."

When you are in an argument, if you lose, you lose, and if you win, you also lose. Though you have won , you have lost because you have hurt his pride and lost your opponent's goodwill. He would eventually resent your victory. What you have earned is an empty victory. You haven't earned the respect of your opponent, though you are damn right over the topic with a difference of opinion.

 

The best way to win an argument is to avoid it. When you realize you are in an argument that is futile and unproductive, the best way is to get out of that argument quickly, no matter how bad the other feels over quitting the argument. At the very least, you have maintained your friendship and goodwill with those with whom you have debated and avoided physical confrontation.

How to handle effective arguments

Over the years, the arguments, the difference of opinions, changed the course of history. So, when the argument sounds logical and productive in nature, it can't be ignored. Instead, these effective arguments need to be dealt with in subtle and better ways—without raising your voice, losing your cool, or coming to blows.

In an argument, get the other person to say "Yes, yes" immediately. Socrates used this technique to keep the opponents saying yes to logical steps that led to his conclusion.

Picture this: two friends discuss the topic "The importance of book reading". One of whom is an avid book reader, and the other guy hasn't in his life time read books other than subject books for schools and colleges. We are well aware that reading books is essential to life, but his friend is a firm believer that books are just a waste of time. In a real-life scenario, what starts as a discussion probably ends with a heated argument. But, the bookish friend starts his argument through Socrates approach.

He asked his non-reader friend a set of questions.

"Do you love creativity?"

"We are living in the era of innovation. Creativity leads to innovation. isn't it?",

"Do you accept that books enhance your creativity and develop your vocabulary skills?"

"Do you find books to be reliable and trustworthy because they are written based on years of research into various articles and other books?"

"The most powerful people, leaders read books. Do you agree? " and so on.

Most of the questions would have been answered in an affirmative tone by his friend. That's what is expected out of an argument, the Yes material. Finally, instead of coercing your friend to accept your argument, persuade him to accept your argument through logical reasoning and a series of questions that end up with an affirmative tone.

Conclusion

Marriages are successful because when one of the partners yells at his/her spouse, the other partner keeps quiet and maintains calm. Some of the underlying factors that cause a relationship breakup include a raised voice and a refusal to leave the topic drop. Avoid pointless arguments and effectively handle arguments that are worthy. Please try incorporating the Socratic approach into your arguments and please let me know the outcome. 

This is the first in the series of "How to make friends and inspire people." With hope, I will continue writing the rest of the series targeting the other refined ways to influence people.

Thanks for your precious time spent reading the article.

Reference: How to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie