Colm O'Regan: Have you heard... slow news is good news

We’re hardwired for bad news. It’s evolution of course. Never not at it. The amygdala in the brain is the almond-shaped — amygdala comes from the Greek for almond — worry wart in the brain that tells us all the time ‘Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid’.... so I’ve started signing up to some newsletters that give good news.

We could do with some good news. The problem with good news is that it’s too far away. It’s too slow. It’s too complicated. Bad news happens quickly, obviously, and nearby.

And we’re hardwired for bad news. It’s evolution of course. Never not at it. The amygdala in the brain is the almond-shaped — amygdala comes from the Greek for almond — worry wart in the brain that tells us all the time ‘Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid’. 

[It does other stuff too like aggression, unconscious memory (like how to tie your laces), addiction, parenting but I’m focusing on fear for now. It sells.]

When humans had to worry about bears and particularly vindictive antelopes, the ‘amygdalish’ ones survived. 

Those who ‘went with the flow’ and ‘I’ll just manifest this bear out of my mood board’ got mauled. Their flibbertigibbet genes didn’t succeed as much.

Media outlets know that ‘if it bleeds, it leads’ and highlight all the bad news because it captures attention. We doomscroll and find out about things we didn’t even know were a problem. 

How many times have you said to yourself: “Oh great now I need to worry about birds being hoovered up by the olive harvesting machines”? No? Just me?

But the amygdala is not built for the multiple streams of bad news that we are subjected to. I’m going to go out on a limb — useful if a bear is in the tree — and say that prehistoric man, while worried about bears, was not depressed about them.

I imagine they just responded to each crisis on its merits. I don’t think they sat in front of the fire doom-cavepainting.

So it’s only natural to just turn off the news. That’s no good for me. Firstly because I know it’s out there and secondly, I always watched or listened to some sort of news. 

But it used to be manageable. In bulletins. Between The Sullivans and Home & Away. Now there’s just too much.

Also I’ve just started a new job on a newsy podcast A Few Scoops with journalist Aoife Moore (formerly of the Irish Examiner so you know she’s sound.) 

We cover a few news stories a week, but we made up our minds that we had to have at least one good news story on it. That felt instinctive but also it’s apparently good for you.

Research — by someone, somewhere — suggests that good news is good for mental health, improves mood, counters our amygdala’s assumption the world is full of bears, inspires you to take action, gives hope.

The problem is... where to get it. You have to search. Remember, good news is far away, slow, and complicated. It doesn’t make the headlines.

In the early weeks on the podcast I was reaching. “Good News! It looks like the Milky Way galaxy won’t collide with Andromeda for at least a few billion more years than we thought!”.

So I’ve started signing up to some newsletters that give good news. ‘Fix The News’ tells me EU air pollution is falling quicker than they’ve targeted. 

‘The Happy Broadcast’ says a Spanish company is going to make surfboards out of recycled wind turbines. Elsewhere fungi (the organism, not the dolphin) are successfully turning dirty nappies into compost. 

‘Nice News’ says baby penguins are getting manicures so their keepers can tell them apart. Koala populations are recovering after wildifires.

If you’re like me and you wonder what happens all the bits of soap in hotels that don’t get used. Apart from being squirrelled into my washbag, tons get thrown away. 

But now companies are diverting tons of it from landfill and recycling.

And if you want your good news immediate, close by and not complicated. Well… we’re going to have wait for the final whistle on Sunday.

• A Few Scoops with Aoife Moore and Colm — out on Wednesdays on goloud or wherever you do your weekly podcast shop