Journalists drink too much, are bad at managing emotions, and operate at a lower level than average, according to a new study

Journalists drink too much, are bad at managing emotions, and operate at a lower level than average, according to a new study, by Lindsay Dodgson.

Journalists’ brains apparently show a lower level of executive functioning, which means a below average ability to regulate their emotions, suppress biases, solve complex problems, switch between tasks, and show creative and flexible thinking.

This is according to a new study led by neuroscientist and leadership coach Dr Tara Swart, who selected 40 journalists from newspaper, magazine, broadcast, and online platforms to analyse. …

It was launched in association with the London Press Club, and the main objective was to determine how journalists are wired to be able to thrive under stress. …

The results showed that journalists’ brains were operating at a lower level than the average population, particularly due to dehydration and their tendency to self-medicate with alcohol, caffeine, and high-sugar foods.

41% of the subjects said they drank 18 or more units of alcohol a week, which is four units above the recommended weekly allowance. Less than 5% of them drank enough water, and some admitted to drinking none at all.

However, in interviews conducted in combination with the brain profile results, the participants indicated they felt their jobs had a lot of meaning and purpose, and they showed high mental resilience. Swart suggested this gave them an advantage over people in other professions to deal with the work pressure of tight deadlines.

Journalists scored pretty high on … Abstraction — This is the ability to deal with ideas rather than events, and relates to the part of the brain where the most sophisticated problem solving takes place. In other words, it highlights the ability to think outside the box, and make connections where others might not see them.

Well that explains a lot about medias bias. Journalists play a crucial (though declining) role in the way society thinks, providing information to the rest of us. Shame they insist on omitting so much that contradicts their political views.