"As much as TV news can make us feel like trash when we’re healthy, it may have the opposite effect on sick people," says Lauren Vinopal, adding: "Scientists have demonstrated how practices like therapy, meditation and affirmations can positively influence our physical health. They’re often, however, impractical for someone in the hospital who has a greater statistical chance of dying than surviving. But in such cases, just thinking about the future in general — by doing something like watching the news — may be enough to improve a individual’s health, a process psychologists refer to as prospection."
TOPICS: CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC, Cable News