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Good morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is to not spread distress like germs.

Sometimes it is necessary to share a concern so it can be solved.

But when you are simply making conversation, whether in real life or online,

steer clear from content that will result in frustration,

anxiety, or anger. Because who needs more of that in their lives? Today's tip comes from

Oliver Bergman, author of the book's Meditations for Mortals, and 4,000 Weeks.

In his newsletter, The Imperfectionist, Berkman referred to alarmist news about AI,

but explained why he wasn't linking to those articles himself.

I'm not going to link to any of these contagious anxiety-spreading pieces, for the same reason I don't go around actively sneezing in people's faces when I catch a cold.

It's a funny analogy and a wise one.

It is bad enough if you have a cold.

There is no reason to try to purposefully spread it to other people.

And it is the same with rage bait in general.

Now, certainly there are times when we have bad news or concerns that we do need to share with people,

either because they might help solve it, or because we need

help figuring out how to respond. But if you are looking for conversation starters or content to

post online, opt for the positive. Don't go around sneezing in other people's faces. So in general,

you probably don't want to share troubling news,

unless you pair it with constructive action that people can take. Your friends might be happy

you're not reading the latest clickbait article about the various ailments of middle age,

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