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A Multidimensional Review of the Consequences of Continuous Consumption of Negative News from Media: A Narrative Review
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Shima Shahyad *   , Mo No |
| , shima.shahyad@gmail.com |
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Abstract: (14 Views) |
Abstract
Background and Objectives:
Continuous exposure to negative news from media has become an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in the digital era and is associated with multidimensional psychological, cognitive, social, neurophysiological, and spiritual consequences. Despite the growing number of studies in this field, the findings have largely been reported in a fragmented manner, and an integrated framework explaining these consequences and their interrelationships has yet to be established. Therefore, the present study was conducted to review and synthesize the existing evidence regarding the consequences of continuous exposure to negative news from media.
Methods:
This study was conducted as a narrative review. A literature search was performed in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar to identify articles published between 2000 and 2025. Studies addressing the psychological, cognitive, neurophysiological, social, and spiritual consequences of continuous exposure to negative news from media were selected and descriptively reviewed and analyzed.
Results:
The evidence indicated that continuous exposure to negative news from media is associated with increased anxiety, stress, psychological distress, and depressive symptoms. At the cognitive level, increased attentional bias toward threat, catastrophizing, and distorted risk appraisal were reported. In addition, reduced social trust and social participation, activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, and alterations in threat-related brain processing were observed. Furthermore, reduced sense of meaning in life, hope, and spiritual well-being were also reported across the reviewed studies.
Conclusion:
The available evidence suggests that continuous exposure to negative news from media may act as a multidimensional stressor, simultaneously affecting psychological, cognitive, social, neurophysiological, and spiritual systems. However, methodological heterogeneity across studies and the limited availability of longitudinal evidence restricts causal inferences.
Keywords:
Negative news; Media consumption; Cognitive bias; Mental health; Narrative review
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| Keywords: Negative news, Media consumption, Cognitive bias, Mental health, Narrative review |
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Type of Study: Review |
Subject:
Marine Medicine
Received: 2026/07/26 | Accepted: 2026/08/5 | Published: 2026/09/20
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