Negative news associated with rising mental health-related sick leave

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The study, conducted by Micael Dahlen and Nora Bittár at the Center for Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), examines developments in Sweden between January 2010 and September 2025. It reveals a pattern in which more negative news coverage is associated with increased online searches about stress, worry, and anxiety, followed by more new episodes of mental health-related sick leave.

“We often think about news as something that informs us about the world. But our findings suggest that the overall tone of the news may also be connected to how we feel and, ultimately, our mental health,” says Micael Dahlen, Professor at SSE.

The researchers analyzed nearly 3.8 million headlines from six major Swedish newspapers: Dagens Nyheter, Svenska Dagbladet, Aftonbladet, Expressen, Göteborgs-Posten, and Sydsvenskan. They measured negativity by comparing the number of negative and positive words in headlines, then combined the results with Google Trends data and records from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency (Försäkringskassan).

Between 2010 and 2024, the average number of new monthly episodes of mental health-related sick leave increased by 79 percent, from approximately 6,400 to 11,500. Over the same period, news headlines became increasingly negative and searches about mental health concerns grew more frequent.

Mental health-related sick leave peaks in the fall

The study also identifies clear seasonal patterns. Both mental health-related searches and new episodes of sick leave decline during the summer. Sick leave reaches its highest levels in October and November, while search activity peaks in January and October.

Of the three relationships, search activity and sick leave moved together most closely. A month with unusually high mental health-related search activity was associated with approximately 950 additional new episodes of sick leave the following month, even after accounting for previous sick leave levels.

“We see in our data that search activity carries information about where the sickness records are heading. For anyone planning mental health services, a month of warning may be worth having,” says Nora Bittár, PhD student at SSE.

However, the researchers emphasize that the findings reflect long-term associations rather than immediate effects. The study cannot establish causality, only consistency over time. 

The study, From headlines to sickness absence: Media negativity, search behavior, and mental illbeing over time was conducted by Micael Dahlen and Nora Bittár and is published in the journal Social Sciences & Humanities Open.

For more information, please contact:

John Karsberg
Business Director, Center for Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness
Tel: +46-70 461 55 39
Email: john.karsberg@hhs.se

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