Information overload makes you stressed. Here’s how to deal

Our senses send more information to our brain than we can process.

Every second, our brain receives around 11 million bits of information. However, scientists estimate that our consciousness can only process about 40 to 200 bits per second. We couldn’t function without our brain’s sophisticated ability to filter out only the most relevant ones.

The filter mechanisms in our brain are designed to protect us. Conditions like ADHD, schizophrenia, and autism are often associated with atypical filtering that can lead to painful sensory overload.

However, attenuated sensory filtering has also been linked to creativity and the ability to experience sometimes intense perceptions of beauty. While we must limit the assault on our senses, there is also a risk of over-filtering. Today many people seem to notice little around them, living a life of deep routine, cut off from the world except what comes to them through their digital devices. Their limited perception limits not only what they see, but every aspect of their thinking, experiencing and living.

Effectively filtering out the unimportant while recognizing what matters is a skill fundamental to survival and success. While our individual neurophysiology may help or prevent this, we can use our brain’s neuroplasticity to enhance our sensory filtering abilities. Just because our brain has a standard filtering mechanism doesn’t mean we have to accept it. As writer Marguerite Duras reminds us, “The art of seeing must be learned.”

What information do you serve?

In order to change our brain’s programming, we need to apply both technological and cognitive filters. To do this, we need a criterion to judge what should pass through our filters and what should be ignored. Considering your purposes for engaging with information is a good place to start and provides valuable guidance. However, that alone does not always provide clarity about what – specifically – is worth your precious attention.

My old friend Karl-Erik Sveiby observed over 20 years ago that while some information has value, a lot of information has negative value when the cost of the time and effort of consuming an information is greater than what she brings you. This is especially true if it’s misleading, inaccurate, or outright false, which is (depressingly) common these days. We need to be able to assess whether a particular piece of information has positive or negative value for us based on our unique circumstances and intentions.

Information serves us when it helps us understand the world better, make better decisions, and live more fulfilling lives, even in the smallest sense. Information does not serve us well when it misleads us, reinforces our prejudices, makes us unhappy, or simply wastes our time and attention by being irrelevant to our intentions.

We also need to be aware of the impact information has on our mood and emotions. Many studies have shown a link between depression and excessive use of social media. The word “‘sunset scrolling,“ describes compulsively after devastating news, was first used in 2018. Two years later, the advent of the coronavirus made it an accurate description of our behavior, earning it the Word of the Year award.“

The reality is that almost all reported news is negative and most “good news” initiatives have failed miserably. However, we may strive to limit our consumption of messages that concern you and focus on what we find encouraging or inspiring. Be sure to notice the impact on your mood as you consume different types of news. As much as possible, gravitate towards what elevates you and away from what negatively affects you.

When trying to determine whether information is good for you, the most important consideration is whether it improves your mental models. Finding out how the information fits into your current thinking, belief systems, and existing knowledge is natural and useful.

But that can’t be the only filter your brain uses.

You also need to look for the most interesting evidence that might show what you believe might not be entirely true. It’s tempting to keep consuming information that confirms your thinking, but if that’s your only filter, you put yourself at greater risk of misinformation.

So how do you determine this balance? Everything starts with intention.

Your knowledge frameworks are the basis of your mental models, your thinking, and your decisions. You should evaluate any new information related to your frameworks. Do they fit in and how? Does it refine your thinking? Do you provide new evidence that needs to be considered?

If the answer to at least one If all of these questions are yes, then the information deserves further consideration. If you answer no Everyone of these questions, then it’s probably worth examining them with a skeptical eye.