When I taught U.S. Government and Politics in an Arizona public school, I saw students struggle with the realities of American political stress. Many of their intense anxieties likely stemmed from their parents’ influence. According to the American Psychological Association (APA), nearly 80% of U.S. adults say the country’s future is a significant source of stress.
In 2024, the APA reported political stress as Americans’ most significant concern. Economic issues, closely tied to politics, ranked second, while the U.S. presidential election was third. Commonly cited concerns included health care, violence, crime, the environment, global conflict, and gun regulations. Other stressors included housing costs, mass shootings, unreliable news, and social division.
Stress from the 2024 election exceeded levels seen in 2020 and 2016. Over 70% of adults feared the election results could lead to violence. More than half of adults believed the election might end American democracy.
In this fraught climate, Americans need resources to handle fear and divisiveness. These issues deeply relate to media and the state of psychological and material welfare in the U.S. Mindfulness can help reduce political stress and hostility, reframing problematic relationships with news content and promoting psychological resilience.
Political Stress Linked to News Consumption, but Mindfulness Helps
An article published in Communication Research examined the links between mindfulness, news consumption, and political hostility. The study defines problematic news consumption (PNC) as:
- Deep immersion in the news.
- Thoughts being consumed with news content.
- Consuming news to relieve emotional stress.
- Feeling a loss of control due to news consumption.
- Paying less attention to life because of political news.
People with higher levels of dispositional mindfulness are better at metacognition, or thinking about their thinking. They recognize when their worldview distorts reality and release those distortions. Mindfulness also improves emotional regulation and self-control, limiting compulsive news consumption. It reduces impulsive distractions like social media use, which often fuels political stress.
To analyze mindfulness and PNC, researchers conducted two studies. The first surveyed 1,100 U.S. adults, and the second had 1,800 participants. PNC was measured using 17 items on a 7-point scale. Participants rated statements like:
- “I become so absorbed in the news that I forget the world around me.”
- “My mind is frequently occupied with thoughts about the news.”
- “I read and watch the news to reduce anxious feelings.”
- “I find it difficult to stop reading or watching the news.”
- “I often ignore work or school to read or watch the news.”
Meanwhile, dispositional mindfulness was measured using statements about acting with awareness and living non-judgmentally. Examples included:
- “I often find myself doing things without paying attention.”
- “I often tell myself I shouldn’t be feeling the way I’m feeling.”
These statements had negative correlation with mindfulness, meaning lower scores reflected higher mindfulness. The study found that mindfulness was inversely related to PNC. It also showed that PNC increased alongside political hostility.
The study explored how PNC tied into political hostility through behaviors aimed at inflaming or radicalizing others. Hostility was measured using similar 7-point scales with statements like:
- “It is acceptable to say aggressive things to people with opposing views.”
- “I would support an organization fighting for my rights, even with violence.”
Other measures included social media interactions degrading opposing views and losing relationships over politics.
Researchers recommended mindfulness training to reduce problematic news behaviors. They stressed that avoiding news entirely isn’t ideal but that mindfulness encourages healthier news consumption. Mindfulness helps make news engagement less compulsive and more self-controlled.
Limitations of the Study
While promising, the study has limitations. Mindfulness correlated with reduced PNC, but causation was not firmly established. It remains unclear how many Americans experience PNC, as proportions vary across studies. Researchers did not assess how specific types of news stories contribute to PNC. The study also didn’t examine emotional motives like a desire for chaos or political destruction. Finally, the study relied on self-reported data and focused solely on U.S. participants.
Despite these limitations, mindfulness shows promise in reducing symptoms of political stress and hostility tied to news consumption.
Conclusion
Mindfulness offers a solution to the stress caused by problematic news consumption. By encouraging self-awareness and emotional regulation, it reduces political hostility and anxiety. While more research is needed, mindfulness is a practical path to improved well-being in a polarized world.
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