Ashok GuptaFounder of the Gupta Program and Neuroplasticity expert - Premium Version

Is The News Keeping Your Brain Stuck In “Danger Mode”?

15 Jul 2026 · 2 min

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2:09

In this solo lecture, Ashok Gupta argues that the modern 24‑hour news cycle overstimulates a brain circuitry that evolved for occasional, acute threats. He explains that the limbic system, which historically protected individuals and their tribe, is triggered by negative news images (war, suffering, conflict). Gupta introduces a "trigger‑interpretation‑response" model: the trigger is exposure to distressing news; the interpretation is a threat appraisal (“this is terrible, my family or country is in danger”); the response is a cascade of cortisol and adrenaline, plus vagus‑nerve feedback that reinforces a sense of danger. This physiological response can persist, keeping the nervous system on edge even when the actual threat is minimal. Gupta emphasizes that this hard‑wired threat‑detection system is mismatched with today’s constant information flow, leading to chronic stress and a brain stuck in “danger mode.”

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So our nervous system is not designed for 24-hour news and information, alright? And from an evolutionary biology perspective, we have this limbic part of our brain that is designed to protect ourselves and the tribe, alright? And so when we see images of war, images of suffering, images of negativity and conflict, it stimulates that deep tribal instinct within us to protect ourselves, our family, and our tribe. And to feel that we are living in a fearful world. All right? And the model that I want to kind of introduce that is essentially what we call this trigger-interpretation-response model. All right? So in this trigger-meaning-response model, the trigger is watching the news, seeing these negative images unfolding before our eyes. The meaning that we then attach to that is This is bad. This is terrible. All is lost. And I'm under threat, and my family's under threat, or my country's under threat. And the response is this overstimulation of our nervous system that then creates this cortisol and this adrenaline in our body. So an emotional response is not just the cognitive aspect of the way that we think, but also the emotional physiological response in our bodies. And that's very important because that can get stored up and can make us feel on edge even more. And via the vagus nerve, that information from our body feeds back up to our brain to say, "We're in danger. What should we do about this?" So your brain is trying to protect you, but it's using an outdated wiring in a modern world. And the more that we respond, the more that we resist and fight what we're experiencing, the more we put that energy out there. And so, yes, it's a logical neurological response, but it's not based on the reality of that particular threat that we are experiencing. Okay? So the brain is hardwired for threat detection and is biased towards survival.