Because the news tends to focus on negative events, one of the things you probably do in the morning is read about the most distressing occurrences that took pl

Because the news tends to focus on negative events, one of the things you probably do in the morning is read about the most distressing occurrences that took place worldwide in the past 24 hours. This can give you the impression that the world is a sad and dangerous place, but it's actually a problem of limited sampling. Although this phenomenon is not new—the saying "if it bleeds, it leads" has been around as long as newspapers have existed—there is a new aspect to it due to the constant exposure we have today. Instead of simply reading the morning paper or watching the news in the evening, many people now compulsively check for the latest atrocities every few minutes. They also receive forwarded articles from well-meaning friends, which further incentivizes sensationalist media to produce an endless stream of emotionally and mentally toxic content. The media tends to exaggerate minor flaws and inefficiencies in our otherwise remarkable modern civilization, presenting them as existential disasters and oppressive systems. Even the relatively minor inconveniences of life in the 21st century are portrayed as hardships comparable to slavery, the Holocaust, and the Holodomor combined. Consequently, some of the most privileged and safest individuals in human history are led to perceive themselves constantly as threatened victims engaged in a desperate battle against an oppressive regime. They literally fear for their lives while walking the streets, despite the fact that, by any rational historical standard, we live in a nearly utopian society. :)