What Does Watching Violence Do to Your Mind? ‘Nothing Good’: 5 Tips for Maintaining Your Mental Health While Following the News

The conflict in Israel and Gaza has dominated the news cycle for the last week. Turn on the TV or log on to any social media platform and you’ll be confronted with a barrage of horrific headlines.

While staying informed is important, consuming an excess of graphic images and videos can negatively affect your mental health.

Media exposure to mass violence can fuel a “cycle” where the viewer is highly distressed by the news and that causes them to consume even more of it, according to a recent study.

“Nothing good” happens to your brain when you see violent images, says Iliyan Ivanov, a professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

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