BBC 6分钟英语学习 阴暗刷屏(Doomscrolling) 我们为什么这么做

From the BBC.

Hello. This is 6 min English from BBC, learning English.

I'm Sam, and I'm Mill. Have you heard the expression doom scrolling?

Neil? It's when people spend a lot of time reading or scrolling a mobile phone or computer screen

in order to read negative news stories, stories full of doom.

I hate to admit it, but I do sometimes doom scroll.

Hmm, I don't feel too bad, neil, because you're not alone.

Research from the University of California found that people all over the world doom scroll regardless of culture.

What's more, there may even be evolutionary reasons why we're attracted to bad news.

In this program, we'll be investigating why we feel compelled to look at and even seek out bad news.

And as usual, we'll be learning some new vocabulary as well.

But before that, I have a question for you.

Neil. Dome Scrolling is a very modern idea, which is only possible with the 24 seven, non stop cycle of news reporting.

So according to international news agency, reuters, what has been the top global news story of 2023 so far?

Is it A, the war in Ukraine?

B increasing prices and inflation, or C Prince harry's autobiography?

I think the answer is an issue that's affecting everyone Inflation arcaneal.

I'll reveal the answer at the end of the program.

Now, it might be true that the nonstop news cycle makes doom scrolling possible, but that doesn't explain why we do it.

Anthropologist Ella al Shammahi thinks the answer may lie in human evolution.

Here she outlines the problem for BBC radio, for program Why do we do that?

We go searching out for bad news, looking for things that will make us feel it inside, and so many of us do it.

Is it a result of 24 seven doom on tap on our phones?

Or is it some kind of compulsion that comes from somewhere, way, way back?

Reading bad news stories makes us feel ick, an informal American phrase, which means feel sick often because of something disgusting or disturbing.

It's a feeling caused by the fact that, thanks to the Internet, now we have the news on tap, easily available, so that you can have as much of it as you want, whenever you want.

But Ella thinks that's not the whole story.

There's another theory. Way back in human history, when we lived in caves, it seemed everything could kill us, from wild animals to eating the wrong mushroom.

Knowing what the dangers were and how to avoid them was vital to our survival.

And from an evolutionary perspective, survival is everything.

As a result, we humans naturally pay attention to the negative stuff, something Ella calls negativity, bias.

But while Caveman only knew what was happening in the local area, nowadays, we know the bad news from all over the world.

Here's Ella again discussing this with her friend TV presenter Clara Anfo for BBC, radio, for program.

Why do we do that? You know, before it would be like, I don't know, im assuming you'd go to the neighbor's cave, and they'd only know, like, the bad news from, like, you know, that particular mountain.

Yes, now, it's like, let me tell you about the really bad information and a situation that's going on in some island somewhere.

And it's just that the good news doesn't make up for it.

It really doesn't. And it's, I think, the trauma is romanticized really doesn't kill you, makes you stronger.

This is a test. I think we are conditioned to believe that negative experiences shape possible than joyous ones.

Reading bad news from around the world can depress us.

And Ella thinks that the little good news we do here doesn't make up further depressing news.

To make up for something means to compensate for something bad with something good.

Good news is hard to find.

In fact, clara thinks society has romanticized bad traumatic news.

If you romanticize something, you talk about it in a way that makes it sound better than it really is.

Connected to this is the saying What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, meaning that by going through difficult experiences in life, people build up strength and resilience for the future.

Maybe it's best to stop doom scrolling altogether.

But with so much bad news pouring into our mobile phones every day, it's not easy.

Okay, it's time to reveal the answer to my questionnail I asked you what News Agency Voices considers the top new story of 2023 so far?

And I guessed it was b inflation, which was the correct answer.

Although there's still plenty of time for 2023 to bring a small doom, hopefully along with a little positiveity too.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this program about doom scrolling, spending lots of time reading bad news

stories on your phone. Feeling ick is American slang for feeling sick often

because of something disgusting or disturbing.

When something is on tap, it's easily available so that you can have as much of it as you want.

The frasal verb to make up for something means to compensate for something bad with something

good. When we

romanticize something, we make it sound better than it is.

And finally, the saying, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, means that by going through difficult life experiences, people build up strength for the future.

Once again, our 6 min are up, but if doom scrolling's not for you, remember, you can find lots of positive new stories to build your vocabulary here at 6 min English.

Don't forget that there is more to BBC learning English than six minute English.

Why not try to improve your vocabulary through the language in news headlines?

Try the news review video on our website, or download the podcast.

But that's bye for now. By 6 min English from the BBC.

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