Scientist explains why we get tired of news

Scientists like to give names to a wide variety of phenomena and sensations: for example, an anxious feeling at the sight of something that looks like a person, but is not is, is called the "sinister valley" effect, and the fear of long words is hippo monstroseskippedalophobia (try saying this three times contract). Now Mark Setta, assistant professor of philosophy at Wayne University, has come up with3 reasons for information exhaustion - and what to do about it the name of the state when you can no longer perceive the news: epistemic exhaustion.

Episteme is translated from Greek as knowledge or cognition. According to Setta's theory, cognitive depletion is not due to an inability to cope with accumulated knowledge, and with emotional exhaustion due to attempts to receive or transmit new information to difficult conditions.

Since the start of the pandemic, your social media feeds have probably been filled with all sorts of news, opinions, and personal experiences. And at some point you realize that you can no longer listen and discuss all this. Setta suggests that the reasons for this condition boil down to three aspects:

1. Uncertainty. 2020 has become a tangle of all sorts of news: from coronavirus to environmental problems and protests. As a result, more and more people are worried about the stability of their work, health and safety. It is easier for us to accept bad news if we feel safe in other aspects of life, but for the whole last year a feeling of uncertainty is in the air, and if reading the news does not give answers, but even more questions, it depressing and demoralizing.
2. Polarity of opinions. The philosopher Kevin Wallier argued that polarization in society fosters mistrust, resulting in people have a harder time finding someone they can truly trust when it comes to receiving and sharing information. Differing views with family members and friends only add to feelings of disconnection.
3. Disinformation. BBC named fake news is the buzzword of 2017, and misinformation is generally prevalent on the social media we use every day. Add to that misleading ads, and consumers can easily lose faith in the platforms they have previously turned to for information.

What if you find yourself in this condition? Setta argues that in such a situation, it is important to accept that you cannot know everything and do not have to read every news and discuss every problem. Do not exhaust yourself and stop flipping the tape if you realize that you are uncomfortable.

In addition, you can discourage misinformation: share on social networks and tell your friends only that information of which you are absolutely sure of the source, and limit yourself from reading publications that you are not inclined to trust. You can only fight the polarization of opinions by empathy: try to look at the point of view of another person, abstracting from your own beliefs, and invite him to do the same. This will allow for a discussion, and not try to convince each other.