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‘Doomscrolling’ leads to negative outlook, existence feels under threat: Study

It is almost midnight and you are mindlessly scrolling through social media reading negative news. However, these headlines appear on the screen every day in different forms. Every time you get shocked and your hands get sweaty, but you are unable to look away. In the language of science, this problem is called ‘doomscrolling’.

A recent study of 800 university students in the US and Iran shows that habitually scrolling excessively through disturbing news on social media (doomscrolling) makes us sad, anxious and angry.

Apart from this, it can change the way we understand humanity and the meaning of life. Study author and Flinders University psychologist Reza Shabang says, ‘Constant exposure to negative news can affect you psychologically even if you are not directly connected to the incident.

post-traumatic stress disorder-like symptoms, such as anxiety and depression

Studies say that exposure to photos and information related to traumatic events has been shown to cause symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder such as anxiety and depression in people. Shabang explains, ‘When we are constantly exposed to negative news and information online, it makes us feel threatened in our own lives.

This can make our view of the world and the people around us more negative. Our trust starts to decrease, we start looking at everyone with suspicious eyes. Researchers claim that this is the first study on the threat to existence due to doomscrolling. The results of the study have been published in the journal Computers in Human Behavior Reports.

The mental health impact of doomscrolling is “similar to being in a room where people are constantly shouting at you,” says Dr Joanne Orlando, a digital behaviour expert at Western Sydney University.

He said that it is important for users to understand how much importance they should give to such news on social media. Therefore, it would be better to keep a little gap between viewing social media before going to sleep and after waking up.

Be alert to check your phone but don’t become obsessed with it: Expert

Helen Christensen, a mental health expert at the University of New South Wales, suggests taking regular breaks from social media. People often doomscroll to get rid of boredom. Think of a new hobby so that you don’t get bored and turn to social media again.

Set a goal to read more positive news than negative ones. Be alert to check your phone but don’t become obsessive. Keep reducing the time you scroll. The biggest advantage of reducing time on social media is that you learn to be present in the present. If these measures don’t work, don’t hesitate to seek help from a doctor.