DOOMSCROLLING

WHY WE DO IT, ITS HEALTH IMPACTS, AND BREAKING FREE

BY ROB SAINT LAURENT, M.ED

With the click of a mouse or tap on a screen, it’s easy to get swept away in the rip current of unsettling news. Ongoing extreme weather, persistent inflation and economic uncertainty, the specter of unelected world government in the World Economic Forum, vaccine controversy, daily mass shootings, escalating war in Europe, the World Health Organization renewing calls for governments to stockpile radiation medicines in the event of a “nuclear emergency,” the Doomsday Clock moved to 90 seconds to midnight—the list goes on. While we can’t ignore these ominous issues and pretend they’ll go away, overconsumption of negative news can impact mental health, say experts.

The media has long known that it’s hard for many of us to turn off and tune out the drama and trauma. The internet, smartphones, and social media have conditioned us to respond to the latest, up-to-the-minute breaking news. Like Pavlov’s dogs, we automatically react to the ping of the breaking news alert. Steve Rose, Ph.D., an addiction specialist and college professor in Canada, explains why.1

We may say we desire more positive news, but Rose believes most of us probably wouldn’t pay attention to it. Negativity bias is one explanation. We’re compelled to pay greater attention to bad rather than good things. Research has shown that bad parents, emotions, and feedback impact us more than good varieties. Criticism sticks with us much more than any compliment. Rose says focusing on the negative has protected us from environmental threats throughout human existence. This natural tendency to focus on the negative has been hijacked by the news media, “keeping us coming back for more.” We do that to try to gain control over the uncertainty, even though we can’t; instead, it just keeps us on perpetual high alert and reinforces our sense that all is not well.

Confirmation bias keeps us locked into our negative information bubbles, says Rose. Instead of challenging our beliefs and questioning the narrative, we default toward information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs and fears. Of course, the internet and social media facilitate these biases with their algorithmically based newsfeeds. It’s difficult to question our worldview, as it’s easier to remain certain of the existence of our fears. Rose says the fear of uncertainty is worse than the bad news itself, but this false sense of certainty from an “illusion of control” comes at a steep cost to our mental health.

Llisa Kaufman, Psy.D., also notices how overconsumption of negative media affects her clients, especially those predisposed to anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). In April 2020, she foresaw the effect of heavy promotion of protective health behaviors over an extended period on these populations. Even after policies and restrictions in their state had been lifted, many couldn’t move forward and remained stuck in their protective behaviors. She believes the media shares much of the blame. Repeating negative phrases like “new infections” and “death toll rising” (intentionally or otherwise) kept people locked in a fight-or-flight response that can have unforeseen health consequences.2

Paradoxically, fear can also be addictive, which could complicate the issue. After watching a scary film, we get a rush of pleasurable endorphins in the amygdala of the brain, much as we would from a vigorous workout.3 Scrolling from the safety of their homes, it could also be that some people subconsciously get a rush from reading scary news.

The feelings of fear, anger, and sorrow elicited by overconsumption of negative news only lead to “worse mood and more anxious scrolling,” say experts.4

Research has linked bad news to greater distress, anxiety, and depression, which can happen with relatively benign news. Professor emeritus of psychology Graham Davey, Ph.D., at the University of Sussex, says bad news can amplify personal worries, even causing “acute stress reactions and some symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder that can be quite long-lasting.”4

Davey and other experts have suspected this for decades. In a small 1997 study, he and a colleague looked at the psychological impact of fabricated positive and negative news bulletins on men and women in their 20s. Several groups were shown 14-minute news segments edited to be more positive, neutral, or negative in content. Compared to other groups, those who watched the negative-leaning material felt more anxious and sadder and tended to “catastrophize” personal worries. The researchers say this is consistent with the belief that negative mood can promote worrying thoughts and suggests that negative news can make us worry more about personal matters unrelated to what we’re watching.5

We also know that being in a prolonged fight-or-flight state can affect our physical health. Short-term, we experience reactions such as increased heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. If these stress responses stay chronically activated, as from habitual doom-scrolling, they could lead to a host of physical consequences ranging from headaches and heart disease to problems with sleep and digestion.6

A 2022 study in the journal Health Communications points to the magnitude of the problem. Using data from a national sample of roughly 1,100 US adults who engaged in doom-scrolling, researchers from Texas Tech University found that 16.5 percent reported significant levels of anxiety and stress, with impacts on physical health, and 27.3 percent reported “moderately problematic” stress levels. The remainder reported either slight or no issues from scrolling. The researchers say they were surprised by the 17 percent, which suggests a widespread problem. They say increased public awareness of the potential for problematic news consumption is needed.7, 8

On a cultural level, Rose says addiction to negative news and mental health issues are symptoms of an ailing society. He believes the demand for negative news is also a reflection of ourselves in which “political divisions and dissolved communal bonds have heightened our sense of uncertainty…‘the flames of fragmentation’ fueled with negative news.”1

A reasonable optimistic bias may be helpful at shielding against the effects of negative news. Our brain’s inferior frontal gyrus typically filters out bad news when we form beliefs about new information. Optimists may not judge risks as well as pessimists, but they are generally healthier.4

That said, positive thinking is hard for many of us, and we cope with anxiety by preparing for worst-case situations. Thus, keeping abreast of what’s happening in the world is important.4 Researchers say this isn’t doom-scrolling if it isn’t affecting our outlook and quality of life. Being a “news junkie” and a doom-scroller aren’t the same thing.7

For people feeling stressed from all the negative news, online vitriol, and “fear porn,” however. Kaufman has a handful of practical, common-sense suggestions.2

Limit media intake or turn it off. This includes social media, which, she says, “is filled with plenty of strangers and ‘friends’ trying to persuade and terrorize you.”

Use the time to get outside. Go for a walk or run, as exercise can reduce stress. Moderate sun exposure has also been shown to benefit some psychological conditions.

Don’t engage. Don’t get into conversations with those who want to discuss something terrifying they heard on the news.

Get help if needed. If negative media interferes with daily functioning, programs are available to help desensitize and regain quality of life.

Kate Mannell, Ph.D., a media studies researcher at Australia’s Deakin University, explains that the COVID-19 lockdown made people more likely to obsessively scroll through the vast amount of depressing stories. She found that people who realized their news consumption was becoming unhealthy and limited their intake had better wellbeing. They often found more direct ways of staying informed, like going directly to public health sources. 8

She advises that, rather than turn off all news media, news addicts realize the potential health impacts of their obsessive scrolling. “Becoming stressed and anxious is a legitimate natural reaction to the world around you, but it’s important … people are able to gauge when [news consumption] becomes problematic.”8 H

1. R ose, S. (2018, February). Addiction to Negative News. Steve Rose, Ph.D.

2. K aufman, L. (2021, May 23). Has Fear Porn I nserted Its Way Into Your Mind? Psychology Today.

3. L ang, K. (2021, October 29). Fear can be fun, and it m ight even be good for you. Medical News Today.

4. B lades, R. (2021, March 22). Protecting the brain against bad news. Canadian Medical A ssociation Journal, 193(12), E428-429.

5. Johnston, W. M. & Davey, G. C. L. (1997). T he psychological impact of negative TV news bulletins: The catastrophizing of personal worries. British Journal of Psychology, 88, 85-91.

6. M ayo Clinic. (2021, July 8). Stress management.

7. McLaughlin, B., Gotlieb, M. R. & Mills, D. J. ( 2022, August 23). Caught in a Dangerous World: Problematic News Consumption and Its R elationship to Mental and Physical Ill-Being. Health Communication.

8. T homson, F. (2022, September 9). What is d oom-scrolling, and why is it bad for us? Open Access Government.