“Recently, research has been conducted into the psychological consequences of the phenomena known as “news information overload” and “generalised trauma event witnessing”.
Even when viewed through a phone screen, experiencing an extremely violent situation activates the sympathetic branch of our nervous systems, which governs our “fight or flight” response. Our bodies react to these images by secreting hormones into the bloodstream including adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol, commonly known as the stress hormone. These hormones quickly cross the blood-brain barrier and penetrate our central nervous systems.
With these chemicals in our veins, our bodies change: heart rate and blood pressure increase to help us fight or flee the threatening stimulus and avoid injury or death. These are adaptive, short-term changes. If they become chronic, they can cause serious health problems in the long run, as has been common knowledge for decades.
So what does this constant exposure to threatening stimulus do to our brains? Is there a risk that it might affect our reasoning?”