The year 2020 symbolized the worst year in many people’s lives with political turmoil and constant changes in the status of the world. This, for many people, was incredibly damaging to their mental health. It also led to an increase in doom scrolling, the practice of getting caught up consuming large amounts of negative news on social media. 

Many social media apps are programmed to try to keep people on the app for as long as possible. This means feeding into cycles of thought and at all costs keeping people scrolling. Many forms of modern technology are addictive, and our brain chemistry works against us as our outrage and fear triggers chemicals that drive us to seek out more information. 

“As humans we have a ‘natural’ tendency to pay more attention to negative news,” said Mesfin Bekalu, a scientist at the Lee Kum Sheung Center for Health and Happiness at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health.

Bekalu noted that while the news that is broadcasted is overwhelmingly bad, due to survival instincts, our minds prioritize information that is upsetting or makes us anxious. In today’s society, this tendency keeps us trapped in a cycle of doom scrolling for hours. 

Furthermore, the endless scroll is a mechanic on social media that exploits the human impulse for automaticity. We all have habits, and social media apps make it easier to continue scrolling than to stop and consciously think about what our actions are doing. Social media can become our habit. We can lose track of time and our thumb can seem to move up the screen reflexively. 

However, there are ways to stop doom scrolling. One main way that we can break out of doom scrolling is by being conscious of how we consume news. Bookmarking a few pages we enjoy and setting clear limits like a timer or a designated hour to check the news can be ways to reduce this tendency. Although it may be tempting to try to keep up with the 24-hour news cycle, it is often counterproductive and can leave us discouraged and less eager to learn about the world. Even when breaking news happens, we must try to make a conscious effort to try to get straight to the facts of the situation rather than obsessively checking in for updates. 

Rather than preparing us for the world, doom scrolling can make us anxious to engage with it. A more productive way of keeping in touch with current events is finding applicable ways of actually improving the state of the world rather than feeling like we are trapped in passively observing it. Signing petitions or finding ways to donate money can be more helpful than trying to constantly observe the stream of news. There is a way to be an informed member of the world and also protect your mental health.