Addiction to negative news: What is doomscrolling and how to avoid it

What is doomscrolling and what causes it?

Doomscrolling is the act of spending an excessive amount of time in front of a screen consuming or consulting negative news.

For doomscrolling to kick in, you need two factors: living through a crisis and having a smartphone with a never-ending newsfeed.

“Just keep going. So we keep scrolling (through the internet),” explained University of Florida research psychologist Benjamin K. Johnson in a study published in the journal Technology, Mind, and Behavior .

The study, in which Bhakti Sharma and Susanna S. Lee also participated, found that doomscrolling can be associated with the fear of missing out and being constantly connected online via smartphones. It’s not clear what triggers it, but Johnson said it’s specific to the current moment.

The term is believed to have originated in 2018 in Twitter and gained popularity in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effects on mental health

It is not clear if doomscrolling causes anxiety or if anxiety leads to this action.

“Although the study authors believe they feed off each other (doomscrolling and anxiety), establishing cause and effect will require further investigation,” the statement said.