Images of the dozens of Iraqi civilians killed and
injured by a suicide bombing in Baghdad haunt living rooms in the U.S.
But these nightmarish pictures are just a drop in the sea of tragedy that
can be found on a television set almost any day. Some depict horror on an
inconceivable scale, such as the earthquake that destroyed the
ancient Iranian city of Bam, leaving an estimated 41,000 dead. Faced with
these images, most of us either become overwhelmed with sadness or go
numb, failing to muster up any emotion at all.
In his book,
The New Brain: How the Modern Age is Rewiring Your
Mind, neuropsychiatrist, Richard Restak argues that technology
is reshaping the way we think, feel and respond. Thanks to
high-definition screens and surround sound, our brains process filmed
events as if they were actually happening to us. News footage can
activate the same brain areas involved in the feeling and expressing of
real-life emotions.
When we see visual depictions of suffering or carnage, the brain
activity shifts away from the language-based, rational left side to the
right side, which dominates in emotional processing and in the decoding
of visual imagery. That is why watching can pack a more powerful
emotional impact than reading. When it all becomes too much, our brains
react by becoming desensitized, leaving us numb to the barrage of
violence.
"If I read about a tragedy in the newspaper," Restak
says, "I know more than a TV watcher—I'm better
informed. If I watch scenes of the earthquake's aftermath on a
25-year-old television set, I might be reminded of other killings and
tragedies, but the effect is not terribly strong. But if I have an HDTV
with a screen just a little smaller than one you find in a movie theater,
the blood, the screaming and the anguished faces are going to hit home. I
will have less actual information about the event, but I will have a
stronger reaction."
Constant exposure to these images can numb viewers, leading them to
respond to a real tragedy as if it were a movie, Restak says. While we
might watch coverage of far-away tragedies out of a sense of guilt or
compassion, the effect may encourage a passive response to a trauma right
in front of us.
Sticking to written accounts of violence and concentrating on the
facts of an event can help, Restak says. Watching disturbing news while
alone is particularly harmful; interacting with friends and family
reminds us of the difference between "real" and
"imagined" life.
While traumatic events seem to come at us uncontrollably, we do
have the power to turn off the TV, shielding ourselves from both trauma
and desensitization—and ironically, that may help us tackle the
problems within our control, says Restak: "When we are not
'burned out' or desensitized by media-derived emotions, we
can reach out to others."
Tags:
bam,
barrage,
brain,
brain activity,
brain areas,
carnage,
drop in the sea,
emotional impact,
high definition,
iranian city,
iraqi civilians,
killings,
movie theater,
new brain,
news footage,
old television,
television,
tragedies,
tragedy,
trauma,
tv watcher,
violence,
visual depictions,
visual imagery
