How to stop doom scrolling — and have a better experience online with Jay Van Bavel
2Digest
This podcast delves into the pervasive negativity in the news cycle and its impact on our mental health. Adam Grant and Jay van Bevel discuss how social media algorithms amplify negative content for engagement and profit, creating a feedback loop that exacerbates negativity and polarization. They explore the evolutionary roots of negativity bias, explaining how humans are wired to be hyper-vigilant about threats. The podcast examines why we continue to engage with negative news despite its detrimental effects, highlighting the power of unfollowing polarizing accounts and following science accounts to reduce negativity and increase happiness. The conversation also touches upon the Olympic paradox, where national identities are often activated, leading to animosity towards competitors. The podcast concludes by emphasizing the importance of fostering transcendent identities that promote inclusivity and cooperation, highlighting examples of unity and sportsmanship at the Olympics.
Outlines
Introduction and Music
The podcast begins with upbeat music and a brief introduction to the Ted Audio Collective.
The Negative News Cycle and Its Impact
Adam Grant and Jay van Bevel discuss the negative impact of the news cycle on our mental health, highlighting how social media algorithms amplify negative content for engagement and profit.
Evolutionary Roots of Negativity Bias
Jay van Bevel explains the evolutionary basis of negativity bias, highlighting how humans are wired to be hyper-vigilant about threats.
Strategies to Combat Negativity
The podcast explores strategies to combat the negative effects of social media algorithms, including unfollowing polarizing accounts and following science accounts.
The Olympic Paradox and Transcendent Identity
Adam Grant and Jay van Bevel discuss the Olympic paradox, where national identities are often activated, leading to animosity towards competitors. They emphasize the importance of fostering transcendent identities that promote inclusivity and cooperation.
Keywords
Negativity Bias
The tendency for humans to pay more attention to negative information than positive information. This bias is rooted in our evolutionary history, as it helped our ancestors survive threats.
Attention Economy
A system where attention is a scarce resource that is competed for by businesses and individuals. Social media platforms operate within this economy, using algorithms to maximize engagement and generate revenue.
Social Media Algorithms
Complex sets of rules that determine what content users see on social media platforms. These algorithms often prioritize content that elicits strong emotions, such as anger, leading to the amplification of negativity.
Evolutionary Psychology
A field of psychology that studies the evolutionary origins of human behavior and cognition. It seeks to understand how our brains and behaviors have been shaped by natural selection over millions of years.
Olympic Paradox
The phenomenon where national identities are often activated at the Olympics, leading to animosity towards competitors. This contradicts the intended spirit of the Olympics, which is to promote unity and sportsmanship.
Transcendent Identity
A sense of identity that transcends individual or group boundaries. It is characterized by a shared sense of purpose and belonging, often seen in moments of cooperation and unity.
Q&A
How does the news cycle contribute to negativity and polarization on social media?
Social media algorithms prioritize content that elicits strong emotions, especially anger, for engagement and profit. This creates a feedback loop where negative news is amplified, leading to increased negativity and polarization.
What is the evolutionary basis of negativity bias?
Humans are wired to be hyper-vigilant about threats due to our evolutionary history. This negativity bias makes us more likely to pay attention to negative information, even if it's not always relevant.
How can we combat the negative effects of social media algorithms?
One effective strategy is to unfollow polarizing accounts and follow accounts that promote positive content, such as science accounts. This can reduce partisan animosity and increase happiness.
What is the Olympic paradox, and how can we overcome it?
The Olympic paradox refers to the phenomenon where national identities are often activated at the Olympics, leading to animosity towards competitors. We can overcome this by fostering transcendent identities that promote unity and sportsmanship.
What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism?
Patriotism is a love for one's country, while nationalism is an aggressive form of patriotism that often involves hostility towards other countries. It is important to promote patriotism without nationalism, as patriotism can be a force for good, while nationalism can be harmful.
Show Notes
Jay Van Bavel is an award-winning professor of psychology and neural science at NYU — and he's an expert on the causes of and cures for division. Adam and Jay discuss the science of virality, why bad news often commands our attention, and how we can find common ground around more uplifting content. Jay's latest book, The Power of Us, is out now.
Table of contents
United States
