Research shows that people who feel depressed are more likely to seek out negative content on social media. But those who watch inspiring stories are more hopeful and less stressed.
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Oscar Wong/Moment RF/Getty Images
Our social media feeds can push us to the dark side as they contain content full of division and anger, or videos that make us feel bad.
But there is a way to reprogram what you see by making different choices. A new study finds that three to five minutes of inspirational content every day can help you. feel more positive.
Researchers scoured the Internet for videos that generated “wow” emojis or went viral. They identified “underdog” stories in which a person overcomes adversity, such as the true story of Sean Swarner, a cancer patient who set out to climb Everest. He was battling Hodgkin's lymphoma and only had one functioning lung.
As part of the study, participants watched Swarner video describing his quest and other similar videos about people achieving success against all odds.
It turns out to watch someone overcame adversity can make us feel good. “We found that people felt more hopeful after watching inspirational videos,” says study author Robin Nabi University of California at Santa Barbara. “And that hope predicted decreased stress over the next ten days,” she says.
The study involved nearly 1,000 adults from across the United States, ranging in age from 18 to 86 years. One group watched an inspirational video lasting three to five minutes every day for five days. Others watched comedies, another group meditated for a few minutes, and a control group did not watch any media. Participants completed surveys at the beginning and end of the study to assess changes in feelings of hope and stress.
Comedy didn't change things much. People who watched the comedy did not differ from the control group, but both the inspirational videos and meditation significantly increased hope.
“We were actually quite surprised at how similar the effect of the inspirational videos was to the effect of the meditation group,” says Nabi. “Both groups felt more hopeful,” she explains, “and this predicted less stress after 10 days.” Study published in Psychology of Popular Mediapublication of the American Psychological Association.
Nabi says the effect wasn't dramatic because nothing as simple as watching a few videos can have a huge impact on your long-term well-being. Our moods and emotions are complex and influenced by many factors. But even though the effects are small, she says they are still significant.
“These small effects can accumulate over time,” Nabi says. Hope helps us feel like we can cope with the things that cause stress in our lives. “So the question is, what happens when we make it a habit?” she says.
Positive content evokes positive feelings
“This discovery did not come as a surprise to me at all,” says Judith Moskowitz of Northwestern University who is studying impact of positive emotions. “It's great that science is telling us what we know intuitively: that if we look at positive content, we'll feel more positivity and more hope,” she says.
During the study, participants were sent videos and they agreed to watch them as part of the study. This is different from what happens when we just start scrolling, so Moskowitz says the challenge is to take this discovery and implement it in your life.
“How can you change your focus to find more positivity in your feed that will help you maintain hope?” It's difficult, she admits.
Social media algorithms can push us toward negativity because highly arousing or exciting content tends to grab our attention and keep us on apps even if it's negative, explains a media researcher. Allison Eden from Michigan State University.
“Media can be a powerful tool for coping and managing mood,” she says. But we must actively choose the positive.
And here's another task: Her research shows people tend to seek out scary or sad content when they are in a bad mood rather than something that will bring joy or calm. In fact, this preference increased when their mood worsened,” says Eden.
We don't always connect what we watch and what we feel, whether it's the movies we choose on streaming apps or the content on our social media feeds.
Eden says there are many strategies for “counterprogramming” your social feeds to see more “nice” content. Here are three things to try:
1. Fill your feed with positivity
“Make an effort to ensure that the first few things you look for each day are things that will put you in a positive frame of mind,” says Eden. Find hashtags that match your interests, such as positive body image, wildlife, puppies, sports highlights, or content that matches your hobbies, be it mahjong, pickleball, or your musical interests—anything that can help you feel good.
2. Keep a media journal
Every time you watch something, ask yourself how you feel. Write down your answers. Tracking will help you make the connection between your media use and your mood. After a few weeks, you will be able to see a pattern of how your choices affect your well-being.
3. Erase the tape
If you see too much disturbing content or content you don't like, you can start over by deleting your account and opening a new one. “I do it myself,” Eden says from time to time, as if to reset. This is an opportunity to check whether your channel is working for you or against you and reset your online presence. Think of it as a “digital cleanse” or detox. You can also choose to take a weekly break, such as a 24-hour social media break, to social distance.
