Daymend press notes
A source-ready briefing for writers covering healthier news habits, constructive journalism, and Daymend.
Ten findings worth citing
These are the strongest, clearest findings in our evidence review. Follow each link before quoting it and keep the stated limitations in view.
- Peer-reviewed experiment
Fourteen minutes of negatively framed television news increased sadness and anxiety in a laboratory study.
Limit: The sample was small and the outcome was immediate mood, not lasting mental health.
Johnston & Davey, British Journal of Psychology, 1997
- Peer-reviewed experiment
Two to four minutes of negative COVID-19 news on social media reduced positive affect in an experiment.
Limit: This measured a brief reaction during the pandemic, not everyday news use over months.
Buchanan et al., PLOS ONE, 2021
- Peer-reviewed experiment
Constructive news increased readers' sense that they could respond to the issue and how credible they found the news.
Limit: This was a brief online experiment during the COVID-19 period. Effects can depend on the topic and how the story is told.
Overgaard, Journalism, 2023
- Industry-funded report, not peer-reviewed
In a Solutions Journalism Network study, 51% preferred the solutions version while 32% preferred the problem-only version.
Limit: This was an industry-funded audience study, not peer-reviewed independent research.
SmithGeiger / Solutions Journalism Network, 2021
- Peer-reviewed field experiment
Each additional negative word in a headline increased click-through rate by about 2.3% in a large online experiment.
Limit: The result concerns headline clicks on one news platform, not whether negativity keeps people informed or well.
Robertson et al., Nature Human Behaviour, 2023
- Peer-reviewed lab measurement
Across 17 countries, people reacted more strongly to negative than positive television news.
Limit: The average pattern varied by person and country, so it is not a universal response.
Soroka, Fournier & Nir, PNAS, 2019
- Institution working paper, not peer-reviewed
Eighty-seven percent of U.S. national COVID-19 coverage was negative, even when cases were falling.
Limit: This is a revised institutional working paper, not a peer-reviewed journal article, and it covers one exceptional news period.
Sacerdote, Sehgal & Cook, NBER WP 28110, rev. March 2021
- Peer-reviewed randomized trial
Limiting Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat to about 30 minutes a day for three weeks reduced loneliness and depression in 143 students.
Limit: The study was small, short, student-only, and about social media rather than a finite news product.
Hunt et al., Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2018
- Peer-reviewed randomized trial
A one-week break from social media improved wellbeing, depression, and anxiety scores in a randomized trial of 154 adults.
Limit: A short break is different from a lasting habit, and the study did not isolate news content.
Lambert et al., Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 2022
- Peer-reviewed meta-analysis
Recent meta-analyses find small average wellbeing benefits from gratitude interventions, around g=0.19 to 0.22.
Limit: Effects are modest, studies vary, and gratitude exercises are not the same as reading positive news.
International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology, 2023; meta-analysis, 2025
About Daymend
Daymend is a positive-news app for iPhone built around a finite daily ritual: seven curated stories, clear summaries, and a real ending. The core daily seven is free and ad-free. Mood check-ins, story links, and basic insights are free too. Optional Premium adds the full archive, deeper before-and-after breakdowns, insight into the story linked to your largest recorded change this month, and personalised recommendations.
What Daymend does not claim
Daymend is not a treatment for anxiety, depression, or any medical condition. The research on this page informs the product's approach, but it is not a clinical test of the app.
Media contact
For interviews, fact-checking, or a product walkthrough, email Conrad at:
hello@daymend.comAssets
The current light and dark app icons are available below. Product screenshots and founder background are available on request.
Start tomorrow with seven good stories.
Daymend is launching soon on iOS and Android. Join the waitlist and we'll let you know the moment it's ready.