05-06-2025, 10:01 AM
Sean Kernan
Before 24–7 news dominated the airwaves, I remember waking up seeing my grandfather sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. His face would been hidden behind the paper, as he sat in his recliner. A cup of coffee sat beside him, as he slowly paged through the updates. There was a balance of hard news, soft news, a page for opinions. Then, he’d watch the local news, which was fairly balanced and informative.
Those days are largely gone. We are left with a system that encourages fear, and causes myriad psychological problems, that most people aren’t even aware of.
Given that the election is now over, with inauguration day looming, you should consider a political detox, which has been studied extensively and has many benefits.
This exercise isn’t as easy as you’d imagine. But if you can manage it, the benefits are well worth it. If you find yourself getting defensive while you read this, it might be time to get off the sauce.
Why you should care
Consuming excessive politics hurts your well-being and relationships. For example, there’s a concept called the perception gap. It shows that the more politically active you are, the more inaccurate your perception of the opposite side becomes. You become more judgmental, hostile, and impulsive towards people whose politics you deem unworthy.
Scientists call this state toxic polarization, where a person has become radicalized, and see every minor aspect of life through a red and blue lense. It’s a spectrum of animosity that people develop after engaging with addictive news cycles.
And truthfully — I’ve fallen into this trap myself. Years ago, I diligently followed political discourse, along with every story, injustice, and bill being proposed. I sat eating my cereal, flipping between CNN and Fox News, trying to triangulate some semblance of the status quo, with the mistaken belief I was staying informed and balanced.
I realized, months into the fact, that I’d become more tense and edgy. I’d adopted many of the attitudes of these disagreeable politicians and become more combative. I also assumed everyone else was as politically dialed in as I was, as emotionally invested in these concerns as I felt.
Finally, I deliberately cut off all the political discussion. It wasn’t easy. My parents are both highly political and conservative, constantly sharing their opinions. My in-laws are the same, except liberal. I’m always caught in this trap between two loud ideological families. But I’ve managed to do it just by changing the subject or saying, respectfully, “I’m trying to tune it all out at this point.”
Disabling politics opened the door to this entire other world. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. There were so many places to send my energy. Only week or two after shutting it off, I was way more relaxed, daydreaming about new ideas and fun things to do. I wasn’t spending so much time reacting.
And this is echoed in academic literature. A study by Dr. Markus Brauer, found news consumption led to higher emotional distress. The correlation was powerful and consistent across all demographics.
The monkey wrench in the equation
This would all be easier if news outlets didn’t tacitly encourage doomscrolling. There’s a huge difference between staying informed — and consuming political entertainment that confirms your existing biases and generates anxiety.
The other challenge is that so much of our life is shaped by algorithms we feed information to. It’s not as easy as just pushing “off”. My YouTube feed still sneaks in politically charged podcasts that I instinctively want to click on — but pause to remind myself not to. I actively click on the three bars at the bottom of these thumbnails and click one or both of these options:
The algorithm clusters together topics so it will take time to figure you out. When you mute, say, Jordan Peterson, you aren’t also muting other alt-right podcasters who might be winding you up. It takes vigilance. And it's worth it. Depoliticizing our mind has benefits that extend beyond our mental health.
Per Dr. Thomas Hibbs, when we reduce people down to an ideological litmus test, we deny ourselves the ability to build friendships that were otherwise available, and deepen connections with people who already love us.
Are there any downsides to a political detox?
Many people already tune out politics and some argue this lowers political discourse and engagement.
Which leads to a potential criticism: “Ignoring politics is a privilege not everyone afford.”
My counter to this is that our ultimate obligation in this arena is voting. There are countless people who stoke the flames on X, or immerse themselves in deeply divisive politics, arguing with complete strangers in comment sections for hours — and don’t even show up to vote on election day. And, perhaps most surprisingly, a study found that the people who are most stressed by politics, as measured by their blood cortisol, were the least likely to vote.
How long does it really take you to figure out who you are voting for? Study the positions of the candidates. Make an informed judgment on their character. Study your local proposals. Then — go vote.
Outside of that, you are mostly being gamed for attention. If you must stay informed, do so in limited and controlled bursts. There are platforms like Ground News App, that aggregate news from thousands of sources, to get you a bird’s eye view of what is happening. You could peruse that briefly each week — but even then, you are flirting with danger.
For true freedom, consider a political detox.
Set a goal of not following politics for a full six months. This may mean not following the news at all, which can be unsettling for some — but it shouldn’t be. I've noticed that the most important stories still find their way into my life through friends.
I have turned everything off since election day. I feel amazing. I’m pursuing other interests. I read, listen to music, and engage with educational podcasts and discussions. I’m disciplined in looking away from news stations in the gym.
If anything, I feel sorry for people still caught in the worldwind. The next time you spend a bunch of time engaging with political content, I want you to pause and take a pulse of your mood. Notice if you are more anxious, stressed, or angry. It can be a subtle feeling — but it is persistent and stays with us. Remember that feeling. Then, take a few days off from politics and do that pulse again. I’ll bet you will feel better.
It’s time. Get off the sauce.
Before 24–7 news dominated the airwaves, I remember waking up seeing my grandfather sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. His face would been hidden behind the paper, as he sat in his recliner. A cup of coffee sat beside him, as he slowly paged through the updates. There was a balance of hard news, soft news, a page for opinions. Then, he’d watch the local news, which was fairly balanced and informative.
Those days are largely gone. We are left with a system that encourages fear, and causes myriad psychological problems, that most people aren’t even aware of.
Given that the election is now over, with inauguration day looming, you should consider a political detox, which has been studied extensively and has many benefits.
This exercise isn’t as easy as you’d imagine. But if you can manage it, the benefits are well worth it. If you find yourself getting defensive while you read this, it might be time to get off the sauce.
Why you should care
Consuming excessive politics hurts your well-being and relationships. For example, there’s a concept called the perception gap. It shows that the more politically active you are, the more inaccurate your perception of the opposite side becomes. You become more judgmental, hostile, and impulsive towards people whose politics you deem unworthy.
Scientists call this state toxic polarization, where a person has become radicalized, and see every minor aspect of life through a red and blue lense. It’s a spectrum of animosity that people develop after engaging with addictive news cycles.
And truthfully — I’ve fallen into this trap myself. Years ago, I diligently followed political discourse, along with every story, injustice, and bill being proposed. I sat eating my cereal, flipping between CNN and Fox News, trying to triangulate some semblance of the status quo, with the mistaken belief I was staying informed and balanced.
I realized, months into the fact, that I’d become more tense and edgy. I’d adopted many of the attitudes of these disagreeable politicians and become more combative. I also assumed everyone else was as politically dialed in as I was, as emotionally invested in these concerns as I felt.
Finally, I deliberately cut off all the political discussion. It wasn’t easy. My parents are both highly political and conservative, constantly sharing their opinions. My in-laws are the same, except liberal. I’m always caught in this trap between two loud ideological families. But I’ve managed to do it just by changing the subject or saying, respectfully, “I’m trying to tune it all out at this point.”
Disabling politics opened the door to this entire other world. The sun was shining. The birds were chirping. There were so many places to send my energy. Only week or two after shutting it off, I was way more relaxed, daydreaming about new ideas and fun things to do. I wasn’t spending so much time reacting.
And this is echoed in academic literature. A study by Dr. Markus Brauer, found news consumption led to higher emotional distress. The correlation was powerful and consistent across all demographics.
The monkey wrench in the equation
This would all be easier if news outlets didn’t tacitly encourage doomscrolling. There’s a huge difference between staying informed — and consuming political entertainment that confirms your existing biases and generates anxiety.
The other challenge is that so much of our life is shaped by algorithms we feed information to. It’s not as easy as just pushing “off”. My YouTube feed still sneaks in politically charged podcasts that I instinctively want to click on — but pause to remind myself not to. I actively click on the three bars at the bottom of these thumbnails and click one or both of these options:
The algorithm clusters together topics so it will take time to figure you out. When you mute, say, Jordan Peterson, you aren’t also muting other alt-right podcasters who might be winding you up. It takes vigilance. And it's worth it. Depoliticizing our mind has benefits that extend beyond our mental health.
Per Dr. Thomas Hibbs, when we reduce people down to an ideological litmus test, we deny ourselves the ability to build friendships that were otherwise available, and deepen connections with people who already love us.
Are there any downsides to a political detox?
Many people already tune out politics and some argue this lowers political discourse and engagement.
Which leads to a potential criticism: “Ignoring politics is a privilege not everyone afford.”
My counter to this is that our ultimate obligation in this arena is voting. There are countless people who stoke the flames on X, or immerse themselves in deeply divisive politics, arguing with complete strangers in comment sections for hours — and don’t even show up to vote on election day. And, perhaps most surprisingly, a study found that the people who are most stressed by politics, as measured by their blood cortisol, were the least likely to vote.
How long does it really take you to figure out who you are voting for? Study the positions of the candidates. Make an informed judgment on their character. Study your local proposals. Then — go vote.
Outside of that, you are mostly being gamed for attention. If you must stay informed, do so in limited and controlled bursts. There are platforms like Ground News App, that aggregate news from thousands of sources, to get you a bird’s eye view of what is happening. You could peruse that briefly each week — but even then, you are flirting with danger.
For true freedom, consider a political detox.
Set a goal of not following politics for a full six months. This may mean not following the news at all, which can be unsettling for some — but it shouldn’t be. I've noticed that the most important stories still find their way into my life through friends.
I have turned everything off since election day. I feel amazing. I’m pursuing other interests. I read, listen to music, and engage with educational podcasts and discussions. I’m disciplined in looking away from news stations in the gym.
If anything, I feel sorry for people still caught in the worldwind. The next time you spend a bunch of time engaging with political content, I want you to pause and take a pulse of your mood. Notice if you are more anxious, stressed, or angry. It can be a subtle feeling — but it is persistent and stays with us. Remember that feeling. Then, take a few days off from politics and do that pulse again. I’ll bet you will feel better.
It’s time. Get off the sauce.
