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Inside the Psychology of Doomscrolling: Why It Happens And How to Stop

Author: Sheron Smith
Posted: Monday, November 3, 2025 12:00 AM
Categories: Pressroom | Students | Faculty/Staff | School of Education and Behavioral Sciences

Macon, GA

In this MGA faculty Q&A, Cory Smith, senior lecturer in psychology, unpacks why our brains tend to fixate on negative news. He shares how to spot the warning signs of too much scrolling and provides research-based tips for reclaiming peace of mind in the digital age.

There’s certainly no shortage of troubling news in the world today. Why can constant “doomscrolling” be harmful to our mental health?

Doomscrolling, the habit of endlessly consuming negative news, is basically your brain’s ancient threat-detection system running wild in the digital age. Humans are born with a negativity bias, which means we’re naturally drawn to notice, remember, and dwell on bad things more than good. That trait once helped our ancestors spot predators and avoid disease, but today it can keep us glued to our screens.

Research shows this modern vigilance takes a psychological toll. Recent studies across multiple countries have found that doomscrolling predicts higher levels of anxiety, depression, stress, and even existential worry. For instance, Satici and colleagues (2023) found that heavy doomscrollers experienced reductions in both life satisfaction and harmony, largely because constant exposure to negative news increased psychological distress. Shabahang and colleagues (2024) found that doomscrolling can trigger existential anxiety, creating feelings of emptiness, loss of meaning, and hopelessness.

Even short bursts of bad news can matter. One study (Price, et al., 2022) found that just a few minutes of exposure to negative pandemic updates reduced optimism and mood compared to participants who read no news at all. When that becomes a daily habit, it’s no wonder we become fatigued and overwhelmed.

Personality also plays a major role. Individuals high in neuroticism (a tendency toward emotional instability and worry) and those lower in conscientiousness (self-discipline and impulse control) or agreeableness (cooperativeness and trust) seem especially prone to doomscrolling. Together, these traits create a difficult combination: strong emotional reactions paired with lower self-regulation and less trust in others, which makes it harder to break the cycle.

But personality isn’t just psychological, it has biological roots. Research shows that people’s genetically influenced traits partly shape how they use online media and how that use affects their mental health (Ayorech et al., 2023). In a study of nearly 8,000 young adults, Ayorech and colleagues found that general media use was linked to fewer social problems and more prosocial behavior (signs of positive mental health), while negative forms of use, like online bullying or compulsive scrolling, were linked to poorer well-being (Ayorech et al., 2023).

By studying thousands of twins, the researchers discovered that genetic factors explained much of these links (Ayorech et al., 2023). In other words, the genetically influenced traits that make someone more emotionally sensitive or anxious may also make them more likely to doomscroll and to feel its effects more strongly. This doesn’t mean media use is harmless, but it suggests that part of the relationship between online behavior and mental health reflects gene–environment correlations: our genes influence the kinds of digital environments we create or seek out.

Acknowledging this complexity prevents oversimplifying the issue. It’s not just the online world causing distress; it’s also that our individual temperaments, shaped by both nature and nurture, guide how we engage with that world.

Many of us feel like we need to stay informed, but it’s easy to get overwhelmed. How can people tell when their news consumption is starting to take a toll on their emotional wellbeing?

A good rule of thumb is this: if the news makes you feel powerless instead of purposeful, it might be doing more harm than help. Research shows that doomscrolling may feed anxiety through what psychologists call intolerance of uncertainty, that uneasy feeling that drives you to keep refreshing the feed “just in case.” In reality, the more we scroll to soothe that discomfort, the more anxious we become (Türk-Kurtça & Kocatürk, 2025).

Warning signs include constant rumination (repetitive, passive focus on negative thoughts, feelings, or problems) about distressing headlines, trouble sleeping, irritability, or difficulty focusing on work or relationships. Hughes and colleagues (2024) found that doomscrolling during the workday predicted lower engagement and more rumination, particularly for people high in neuroticism. The more emotionally reactive we are, the more doomscrolling tends to pull us into a spiral of negative emotion.

The irony is that this behavior feels like control. When we consume a lot of negative content, it can feel like we’re gaining perspective, awareness, and safety. It feels like we’re reducing vulnerability. It’s our brain’s way of saying, “If I just read a little more, I’ll be more prepared.” But as multiple studies confirm, doomscrolling rarely informs, it’s more likely to inflame.

What are some practical ways to stay aware of important issues without letting the steady stream of bad news cause anxiety, stress, or hopelessness?

Think of your attention as a limited resource. Every minute you spend marinating in bad news is a minute you’re not investing in things that lift you up: relationships, hobbies, humor, or even small moments of gratitude that restore perspective.

Across studies, the antidote to doomscrolling isn’t ignorance, it’s intentionality. Research from Price and colleagues (2022) and Güme (2024) shows that limiting social media exposure, disabling news notifications, and balancing screen time with positive activities may help improve mood and well-being. Even partial news avoidance, checking in once or twice a day instead of hourly, has been linked to lower anxiety and better emotional regulation.

And if you want a research-backed way to push back against negativity, try gratitude. A consistent gratitude practice, whether writing or reflecting on things you’re thankful for, helps redirect attention away from threat cues and toward positive meaning. Because of our built-in negativity bias, bad things seem to scream at us while good things whisper. Gratitude helps us hear the whispers more clearly. Over time, this practice builds emotional resilience and steadier perspective.

For college students and others who spend a lot of time online, what are some healthy habits or mindset shifts that can help them stay grounded and protect their mental health while still being engaged with the world?

College students are digital natives living in a world of nonstop updates, so awareness, not avoidance, is key. Based on recent research, here are a few science-informed habits that help counter doomscrolling’s effects:

• Schedule your scrolls. Set dedicated times to check the news rather than letting it fill every quiet moment. Structured news exposure reduces anxiety and improves emotional control (Türk-Kurtça & Kocatürk, 2025).
• Balance your feed. Algorithms reward outrage, so deliberately follow accounts that highlight progress, solutions, or humor.
• Move your body. Physical activity builds the same mental and emotional resilience that protects you from stress and negativity. It also helps clear your head, making space for new perspectives to take root.
• Practice gratitude. A daily habit of noticing what’s going well, however small, interrupts negativity bias and builds emotional flexibility.
• Use analog tools to help you reduce screentime. Neat apps exist but also get outside and give your attention a break from screens. Mindfulness and time in nature may help you notice the emotions that drive your scrolling habits, while grounding your thinking in values rather than fear.

In short, staying informed doesn’t require being immersed. Doomscrolling narrows, drains, and distorts, while gratitude, connection, and mindful awareness help restore balance. The world’s problems won’t vanish when you put your phone down, but your ability to face them with clarity and hope just might grow stronger.

Cory Smith, senior lecturer in psychology at MGA,is the University’s 2026 Felton Jenkins Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award nominee and the 2025 Regents Award for Excellence in Teaching nominee. Smith has been part of the psychology department for 11 years, following a decade of service as a psychologist with the Houston County Board of Education.

A graduate of Georgia Southern University, where he earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees, Smith lives in Macon with his wife of 22 years, their two daughters, and a collection of beloved rescue pets. Outside the classroom, he enjoys baseball, playing guitar, attending live music events, and creating things.

References

Ayorech, Z., Baldwin, J. R., Pingault, J. B., et al. (2023). Author correction: Gene–environment correlations and genetic confounding underlying the association between media use and mental health. Scientific Reports, 13, 3030.

Güme, S. (2024). Doomscrolling: A review. Psikiyatride Güncel Yaklaşımlar – Current Approaches in Psychiatry, 16(4), 595–603.

Hughes, I. M., Keith, M. G., Lee, J., & Gray, C. E. (2024). Working, scrolling, and worrying: Doomscrolling at work and its implications for work engagement. Computers in Human Behavior, 153, 108130.

Price, M., Legrand, A. C., Brier, Z. M. F., van Stolk-Cooke, K., Peck, K., Dodds, P. S., Danforth, C. M., & Adams, Z. W. (2022). Doomscrolling during COVID-19: The negative association between daily social and traditional media consumption and mental health symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychological Trauma, 14(8), 1338–1346.

Satici, S. A., Gocet Tekin, E., Deniz, M. E., et al. (2023). Doomscrolling Scale: Its association with personality traits, psychological distress, social media use, and wellbeing. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 18, 833–847.

Shabahang, R., Hwang, H., Thomas, E. F., Aruguete, M. S., McCutcheon, L. E., Orosz, G., Hossein Khanzadeh, A. A., Mokhtari Chirani, B., & Zsila, Á. (2024). Doomscrolling evokes existential anxiety and fosters pessimism about human nature? Evidence from Iran and the United States. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 15, 100438.

Türk-Kurtça, T., & Kocatürk, M. (2025). Beyond the scroll: Exploring how intolerance of uncertainty and psychological resilience explain the association between trait anxiety and doomscrolling. Personality and Individual Differences, 233, 112919.