Help,

Since the pandemic, the adverse mental health effects of doom scrolling have been researched more closely. One study published in 2023 linked doom scrolling to worse mental health and decreased overall satisfaction with life.

Doom scrolling reinforces negative thoughts and feelings and can worsen pre-existing depression and anxiety.

In addition, the time you spend doom scrolling can make you irritable, fatigued, and less productive at work or school. A study published in Health Communication found that in a survey of over 1000 participants, almost 17 percent who admitted to “severely problematic” news consumption reported higher stress levels and worse physical health.

One of the lead authors, Dr. Bryan McLaughlin, said that bingeing on the 24-hour news cycle can make some people feel like the world is a “dark and dangerous” place because it stimulates the limbic system, as Harvard Medical School lecturer Dr. Aditi Nerurkar found in her research.

Unfortunately, because this behavior can make us feel unsafe, instead of tuning out the bad news, we continually seek it out to alleviate our fears that the worst scenario is happening. This perpetuates a self-destructive cycle.

https://www.bps.org.uk/research-digest/creeping-influence-doomscrolling

https://americanaddictioncenters.org/alcohol-drug-hotline/report-drug-activity