Quit Your Doomscrolling: Why It's Time to Try Joyscrolling For a Change
Next Big Idea Club
Where thought leaders converge, where ideas transform into action, and where books become a gateway to a brighter future
The Next Big Idea Daily newsletter (SUBSCRIBE) is written by me, Michael Kovnat , and gathers insights from today’s leading non-fiction authors. It’s a companion to our Next Big Idea Daily podcast, available on Apple or Spotify .
If you watch or read the news, you're voluntarily subjecting yourself to a daily barrage of second-hand traumas -- shootings, bombings, corruption, abuse.
If you binge popular TV series, you're probably hanging out with a rogue's gallery of miscreant antiheroes -- drug runners, underworld bosses, backstabbing housewives.
If you spend a lot of time on social media, you're likely stoking nearly all of the deadly sins -- envy, lust, gluttony.
So what is all this doing for your brain, much less your soul? Nothing good.
How would it improve your mood, and by extension your relationships and productivity, to go in a different direction once in a while? How might you benefit, every now and then, by consuming stories of decent people -- everyday heroes, good samaritans, honorable folks living noble lives. Such people do exist, you know, and not only in the pages of fiction.
For years now, stories like these have been gathered by Upworthy, a media company that specializes in publishing positive stories reflecting the better qualities of our species. Take a look at upworthy.com as a quick antidote to the doomscroll that is most people's media diet. Or check out our Next Big Idea Daily episode featuring Upworthy senior team members Gabriel Reilich and Lucia Knell .
In their book GOOD PEOPLE: Stories From the Best of Humanity , Gabriel and Lucia collect over a hundred of their favorite tales of generosity, connection, courage and other virtues that are visible around us every day, if we only choose to look. And on our podcast , they reflect on how spending time with these stories can change your own outlook on life, reignite your faith in humanity, and inspire your own acts of kindness.
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Hear Gabriel and Lucia explain the power of positive stories:
We also heard a lot of other big ideas this week, like:
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Have a listen to these ideas and then share one of your own positive stories in the comments below. We could all use it!
By the way, if you're interested in having these and thousands of other big ideas right in your pocket, download the Next Big Idea app .