【推荐1】A survey by the American Psychological Association shows that one in ten adults reads online news at least once an hour. A lot has been written about the mental health influence from news addiction, and in particular from reading negative reports. Just like junk food, “junk” news can be bad for our health.

In recent years, things have been getting increasingly more negative. A study of the content of New Zealand’s largest newspaper showed that while in 1973 the average number of stories about death on the front page was 0.75, by 2013 it was 4.1(and no, there weren’t five times more people dying).

What’s more, online news, and the stories we read on mobile phones in particular, tend to be even more negative than print. A 2019 study of 50 U.S. newspapers showed that mobile versions of newspapers report three times more stories about disasters and accidents than paper ones.

Such negative reports lead people to believe that things are worse than they really are. They can lead to stress, worry and lower spirits.

Experiments also suggest that loneliness and poor relationships have been connected with reading negative reports. After reading negative reports, people are less likely to help others. Even worse, when we check news on smart phones, we may “phub” our loved ones, which leads to lower relationship satisfaction.

Negative reports attract our attention far more than positive ones. That’s a global happening. I hope, however, that if we realize that negative news is spoiling our moods, we might all be more willing to change.

【推荐3】The livestreaming and fast delivery industry have attracted so many young people that the manufacturing sector(制造业)is short of manpower. “My advice is to encourage more young people to work in the factories and less in the express delivery industry,” Zhang Xinghai, a deputy to the National People’s Congress, China’s top legislature, said during the ongoing NPC annual session.

Zhang wants more young people to work in the factories so that China’s manufacturing sector continues to develop well.

Whatever job young people do is a matter of choice, but the manufacturing sector is facing a labor shortage, for too many people prefer jobs in other areas.

A survey conducted by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social   Security in the third quarter of 2021 found that of 100 jobs that were facing a manpower shortage, 58 were in the manufacturing sector. By 2025, the shortage in 10 key manufacturing industries could be as high as 30 million.

It is time some strong measures were taken to attract people back to the factories. This can be done by raising the salaries(薪水)of factory workers.

According to a survey in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong province, the yearly income of express delivery workers in the city is more than 100,000 yuan($15,831). In contrast, the average monthly salary of those doing blue-collar jobs in Guangdong in 2020 was just 7,108 yuan, or about 84,000 yuan a year. That gap surely needs to be reduced.

Besides, the legal rights and interests of those doing blue-collar jobs need to be better protected. Express delivery workers can decide when they want to work, but factory workers have to work whenever the factory demands.

Therefore, the authorities should protect factory workers’ rights to weekends, 8-hour working schedules and paid leave.

Also, the promotion(晋升)and salary growth structure of factory workers must be clearly planned. In a word, to attract young people back to the factories, it is necessary to make blue-collar jobs more attractive.