When you read the news, sometimes it can feel like the only things reported are terrible, depressing events. Why does the media concentrate on the bad things in life, rather than the good? Many people often say that they would prefer good news: but is that actually true? People who were more interested in current affairs and politics were particularly likely to choose the bad news. And yet when asked, these people said they preferred good news. On average, they said that the media was too focussed on negative stories. We pay attention to bad news, because on the whole, we think the world is rosier than it actually is. … Continue reading Tom Stafford