Let’s face it: the world is quite a grim and depressing place.

War and terrorism are happening everywhere. People are getting hurt, and people are dying. It’s all falling apart, and everything seems to be going wrong. If… we only believe what the media shows us.

Because here is a truth:

Most of the media we consume show only one reality, just one part of the whole that this world is made of.

The negative part: the darkness, the drama. But it very rarely shows the other side of the coin—and that is just as much a reality too.

The positive part: the beauty, the love, the kindness.

Have you ever wondered though, why the media only shows the negative? Leaving out everything positive that is happening in the world?

Instinctively, our brain is wired to be more alert to possible threats; it is programmed to detect them for the sake of survival. Studies have shown people to be naturally drawn and attuned more towards picking up negativity than positivity because of this.

This concept is also known as the negativity bias.

Which means that, even when they are of equal intensity, things of a more negative nature (e.g., unpleasant thoughts, emotions, or social interactions; harmful/traumatic events) have a more significant effect on one’s psychological state and thought processes than neutral or positive things.

Simply put, something very positive will generally have less of an impact on a person’s behavior and cognition than something equally emotional but negative.

The media smartly plays on this fact. And therefore, sells what it can sell the best–indeed, what we are most drawn to: negativity.

Apart from giving a very wrong impression about the world, as it does indeed seem that everything is falling apart from this single standpoint dominating the media, studies have shown that being exposed to these constant negative pulses can also be an actual danger to our physical and mental health.

It has been known for a long time that the emotional content of films and television programs directly affects our mood and changes many aspects of our thinking and behavior.

A movie or TV program that generates negative mood experiences (e.g., anxiety, sadness, anger, disgust) will affect how you interpret events in your own life, what types of memories you recall, and how much you will worry about events in your own life.

Multiple studies have shown that people who consume negative content in the media have reported being significantly more anxious and sadder than those people who watched something either positive or neutral.

Now, what does this all have to do with today’s episode of The IPS Podcast and our guest Kristina Paltén – ultra-runner, two-time world-record holder, adventurer, and all around beautiful soul.

Her adventures have led her all over the world, from climbing Mount Aconcagua (6962 meters) in Nepal to running from Istanbul in Turkey to Tenela in Finland (3260 kilometers), as well as many others.

One recent adventure of hers, in 2015, led to a lot of media attention when she decided to run 1144 miles, alone, as a woman, through Iran.

Why?

To face her own prejudice and fears of a country and people that were unknown to her, but were cast in a dark shadow precisely because of the media.

What happened?

Well, I will let Kristina tell you all about it during the interview.

But it undoubtedly proves the point of how the negative influence of media has created unnecessary fear, hate, and an incomplete image that is far different from the actual reality. Because what happened sure wasn’t what the media told her would happen…