When Media Blocks Our Growth, It’s Time to Block the Media

Hi Everyone, Mazen here – and Welcome to the Maximal Life!

Today, we are going to talk about the sensory input we allow into our minds, and the ways it can affect our health, our energy, and our ability to focus on what matters most.

In our modern, high tech world, the average person’s brain is bombarded with sensory information equivalent to 174 newspapers of data every day! Compelling headlines, shocking occurrences, and curious hyperlinks draw us into a cybernetic wormhole.

Ingesting information from the internet can be like wrangling a wildfire. You go seeking an answer to one question, and you end up surrounded by the flames of public opinion. The internet is now the leading source of all our information. We never need wonder for long about anything. Who won last night’s game? Where can I purchase this equipment? What temperature is it outside?

We used to have to seek out these answers through making conscientious effort, communicating with others, and reading or watching news reports from a limited few options. Now, the answers are all at our fingertips, leaving the news outlets clawing for our attention.

This type of instant-access to information is relatively new to mankind, and we are all learning as we go, what sort of long-term impacts, both positive and negative, this information wildfire is going to have on us as a society, and as individuals, on our own minds and on our bodies. There’s a well-known saying in the news industry: “If it bleeds, it leads”.

“If it bleeds, it leads” …..Really?….. Really?

I looked it up. The first verifiable use of this gruesome saying was in 1989 in an article published by New York Magazine entitled: “Grins, Gore and Videotape- The Trouble with Local TV News” by journalist Eric Pooley. In the article Pooley said, “The thoughtful report is buried because sensational stories must launch the broadcast: If it bleeds, it leads.”

He later stated that he wrote the article because he was angry and dismayed by the sheer volume of news stories that were grim and fear-inducing. This was in 1989, two years before the World Wide Web was made available to the public! And we aren’t just dealing with our local TV news anymore. Now, ANY news outlet can reach a global audience. It’s an endlessly multiplying array of competitors allzeroing in on the same stories. More so, now than ever before, there is an incentive to ramp-up coverage of unsettling and emotionally-wrenching events. This results in an unrelenting flow of negativity, fear- mongering and depravity. We face this bombardment every time we turn to modern news sources for information. It’s not surprising that as individuals and as a society, we feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and stressed on a daily basis. And we are just beginning to recognize how toxic news can be to our brains, our bodies, our creativity and our productivity.

The Brain is a Bank, you can only withdraw what you deposit.

Every piece of information, word, image, sound, and video you are exposed to is acting as input, as a deposit to your mental banking system, and your collective understanding of the world.The information we digest can either uplift and revive, or downshift and choke our internal processing system. Just as we have learned over the past several years that living on an over abundance of negative food inputs, such as sugar, is hazardous to our health, Science is now discovering that watching the news is to the brain what sugar is to the body. OUCH!

Let’s get real. Right here, Right now. The media feeds us trivial matters, far-removed from our personal reality. News is superficial and easy to digest. It doesn’t require deep thinking, unlike reading a book of well-drafted and practical content. As a result, most news consumers even if they used to be avid book readers have lost the ability to absorb lengthy well-researched articles. It’s not because they are getting older, or because their schedules have become more demanding. It’s because the physical structure of their brains has changed.

The if “it bleeds it leads” news is brain damaging.

Scientists used to believe that all the connections formed in the 100 billion neurons inside our brains were set and fixed by the time we reached adulthood. But today, we now know that our nerve cells actually breakdown underused neuro-pathways and build new ones on a routine basis. So the more we consume news largely made up of information we don’t need. The more we strengthen the neuro-pathways devoted to skimming and multitasking. All the while, the neuro-pathways devoted to deep thinking and profound focus are neglected and begin to be built over. Concentration vanishes, we find ourselves becoming restless and irritated by valuable information that once inspired deep thinking and profound focus. Today’s if it bleeds it leads news is specifically engineered to interrupt yourattention.

The more shallow the information we consume, the more accustomed to shallow thinking we become. Our memory is also affected. The onslaught of information trains us not to notice small details, which may seem insignificant but are actually imperative to truly connecting with other people.

After all, it’s our small details that make us individuals. News is an intentional interruption system designed to weaken our comprehension. Our comprehension of not only the world around us, but also each other and even ourselves. Other potential side effects include irrational fear, aggression, and a weakening in our very perceptions. The purpose of News is no longer to provide valuable or meaningful information to the public, but as a means of mass control.

Even American Media Mogul, Ted Turner, founder of CNN stated, “The Media is too concentrated, too few people own too much. There are really only five companies that control 90% of what we read, see and hear. It’s not healthy.”

It’s not healthy. Not only to our minds, but our bodies as well. Panic and alarm inducing stories constantly trigger our limbic system, which triggers a flood of Cortisol. This stress hormone deregulates our immune system. High-levels of Cortisol, over an extended period of time, cause impaired digestion, lack of growth in our cells, hair and bones, increased susceptibility to infections, and chronic stress.

Before we dig deeper into why the news is like daily kryptonite to our mind, body, creativity, and productivity, I want to tell you about a little experiment I did on myself after researching this topic at length and finding the results of some of my studies to be quite troubling: First, this always-on technology could be causing insomnia. And second, and to me, worst of all, the nature of most of the content we are exposed to is making both adults AND children less empathetic. This one hit me right at home. I have two small, loving and curious children. Their minds are bright and bubbling with creative ideas and thoughtful questions about how they should relate to the world around them. When I think about my childhood, I think of playing outdoors, making forts, and catching bugs with other kids in my neighborhood. I felt such deep concern for what kind of input my children might receive from today’s onslaught of unnecessary information. I wanted to gain some firsthand insight on the matter.

So I started with: What happens when we don’t watch the news

I put myself on a News Detox, And gauged to see if there were any changes in my body and behavior: I committed to a full 30 days without reading or watching news reports of any kind or seeking information that I didn’t immediately require.

The first thing I noticed was how often I reached for my phone. So often that it became a source of agitation after the very first day, and honestly, I was shocked to discover how much of my mind was freed up without the availability of the instant distraction- And I felt a sense of disorientation with my surroundings when I couldn’t go in to my phone. The first day, I made a lunch reservation for myself at a favorite outdoor eatery. The surroundings are serene. Rays of soft natural light glints through lush, fully-grown trees that populate a nearby park. At this time of year, you can smell fresh blooms and off in the distance you hear a large fountain bubble and spray. The waiters there know me and I am greeted in a familiar and friendly way.

“Always good to have you back, Mazen”

“Always good to be back.”

“Can I bring you the usual?”

“Yes, please and thank you.”

And then I am left alone at my table.

I gaze off into the distance for a while. The occasional jogger goes by, or someone walking their dog trots by. “What is the name of that breed again?” I thought, and I reached for my phone. Nope. No news, no seeking unnecessary information. Then I remember a good friend from college had that breed of dog growing up. “Is it strange to call him and just ask him?” I wonder. It’s been forever since I touched base with him. I decide to send him a text: “Hey, it’s been too long! Let’s make time to catch up soon.” And I set my phone back down, having used it as only a phone. But having it on the table I catch myself continuing to glance at it. I know I’ll hide it in my pocket. This was when I discovered the phenomenon that I refer to as the “Ghost Buzz”, and I experienced it several times a day throughout the entire first week of my experiment before it finally subsided.

I actually felt my phone vibrate, and thinking it was my friend responding to my text, I pull my phone from my pocket only to find that I had no notification. I got a case of the Ghost Buzz! This was the first time I NOTICED this phenomenon. And it occurred two more times, while I was sitting there. Later, I would realize that it had been going on for quite a while.

That first week was almost painstaking I had to continually redirect my focus back to the present moment. It was upsetting to realize how my mind was conditioned to stay in a state of constant distraction, even when I wasn’t working.

At the restaurant, I drum my fingers on the table. I fiddle with my silverware. I drink three glasses of water. My food arrives, and I feel a wave of relief. “At last! something to do!” I remember thinking as I walked back to my office, “Man, this is going to be more difficult than I thought.”

But despite the early pain points, As it turns out, it was far more rewarding than I thought as well. During that month, I rediscover my love of music!

I hadn’t realized how little time I had made for music in my life in the past several years. And speaking of time, I calculated that I was recovering around 8-12 hours a week! After that first week, I noticed I wasn’t in a rush as often. At one point, I was faced with a major decision of potentially far-reaching consequence, and I found I was able to make that decision without fatigue or loss of sleep.

Oh! And my posture improved! As I eased back into the pulse of daily living, I made more eye contact and small talk became more natural and enjoyable. My friend from college eventually contacted me and we had such a great time reminiscing and catching up. At one point, I laughed so hard I couldn’t catch my breath. Weimaraner, by the way, was the breed of dog I had wondered about. Not exactly life-altering information, but the moments I gained with him to figure out the name of that dog, are priceless.

By the end of the month, my blood pressure had lowered and I had a lot more energy without turning to sugar or caffeine. I was falling asleep more quickly and waking up more rested. And you know what? Not once did I feel ill-informed with what was going on the world. On the contrary, I felt more in control of what was going on in my world. The world I dedicated my life to creating. I was living in it, in full color. Not once did I feel disconnected. On the contrary, I felt more connected to my wife, my children, and my team. After 30 days, my phone had become a phone, an ally, an actual resource for connecting me to actual people.

On the last day, I make a reservation at that same restaurant I went to on my first day. I chat with my waiter about a trip I remembered he had taken to South America. He shows me photos of the rainforests of Costa Rica. His name is John and his wife’s name is Kelly. And while I was waiting for my lunch I relax my gaze and I notice the sunlight filtering through the trees because the wind was causing the shadows to play across my face. I reflect on my experience over that past 30 days and I felt a flicker of anxiety about going back to the way it had been before. And I decide right there and then, at that same table where I had began my experiment, I wasn’t going back.

I haven’t read or watched any news broadcasts or actively followed any reports for the last four years. The freedom I’ve experienced first-hand has included: less disruption, less anxiety, deeper thinking, higher productivity, better insights, and deeper connections with my friends and family.

As I was on this 30-day journey I read this gem from Dwight D. Eisenhower: “The things that are urgent are rarely important, and the things that are important are rarely urgent.” I think about that all the time.

Tuning into the news makes us passive. Tuning out the news keeps us present.

News stories are overwhelmingly about things of which we have no influence. Daily repetition of information we cannot act upon, makes our brains passive. Knowledge is power, but sometimes our thirst for knowledge can be an attempt to exercise power over that which we are powerless. And It grinds us down until we find ourselves adopting pessimistic world views, and desensitized emotional responses. The by-products of consuming today’s news are sarcasm and fatalism.

Research done at Harvard University has shown that we are currently living in the least violent time in known history. If you’re saying WHAAAAAAAATTT? Time to tune out the news. More people are living in peace right now than ever before. The overall percentage of dangerous events that occur in the world are actually decreasing, while the likelihood of hearing about them is ever increasing. Because these negative events are more readily available, our brains assume they are happening with a greater frequency. The best way to stop these distractions is to not begin, because once you start the media is designed to gain steam and become difficult to interrupt. If you don’t pick them up, you don’t have to let them go.

It’s time to start your no news experiment, today.

Albert Einstein said it simply: “Information is not knowledge. The only source of knowledge is experience.” And so, here’s what I propose for living a Maximal Life for a Maximal You: Gain this knowledge for yourself, through your own experience. Exercise your power of choice by refusing the invitation to these unproductive and health-diminishing distractions. Opt out of mentally toying with subjects designed to hold your mind hostage during you own 30-day experiment.

Skip the news entirely for one month, and notice the changes. Replace the passive input with carefully selected information that brings you insight and inspires creative ideas. Of course, some jobs require you to be updated on certain topics, there are numerous services that allow you to pull in the feeds you actually need without ads or distractions. By combing through the news in this way, you can ask yourself with each headline “Am I actually going to use this information in the near future?” If the answer is no, you can just pass it by. Detoxing from the news isn’t easy at first, but from firsthand experience, I can tell you it’s worth it.

Thank you so much for joining me. It’s been a pleasure as always. I invite you to take this information and through experience, transform it into your own personal knowledge as you continue to blaze the trail for living a Maximal Life.

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