IT'S A KIND WORLD, AFTER ALL

News FROM THE WORLD OF MEDICINE

- Samantha Rideout

Although bad news stories can be worth your attention, adding some good news into your media diet could benefit your mental health, concludes a new British experiment. More than 300 participants began by reading stories about cruelty or violence. Some stopped there, while others were asked to proceed to either lighthearted anecdotes (e.g., a swearing parrot) or stories about acts of kindness (e.g., a hairdresser who offers free services to unhoused people).

Not surprisingly, the negative reports dampened readers' moods. The amusing tidbits helped to temper this effect, but it was the stories about kindness that cheered people the most and contributed to a greater belief in the overall goodness of humanity.

Even if you're exposed to a daily barrage of bad news, hearing about the kindness of others protects you against what some researchers call "mean world syndrome," an anxious outlook caused by an overestimation of the world's dangers.

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