Bzzt.
Your phone vibrates with a notification. It’s a breaking news alert. You tap to read, and before you know it, you’re clicking through a cascade of headlines — each one more alarming than the last. The cycle continues and suddenly, what seemed like two minutes online has quickly turned into 20.
Sound familiar?
This compulsive habit is known as doomscrolling and refers to spending excessive time online scrolling through news or other content that makes one feel anxious, sad, or angry, according to Merriam Webster, which officially added the term to its dictionary in 2023.
“There's a natural psychology to wanting to know all the bad things that are happening, so you can prepare for them or give yourself some illusion of control,” says Joseph Trunzo, Ph.D., School of Health and Behavioral Sciences associate director and Psychology professor.
The term ‘doomscrolling’ was coined around 2020 and mainly used in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic; however, our doomscrolling behaviors existed long before and unfolded alongside the evolution of media.
Trunzo explains that people used to receive the latest headlines through the newspaper, nightly news, and radio. When 24-hour cable news networks came along, people could sit and watch the news 24/7. Smartphone eventually entered the scene – resulting in the majority of people carrying the news in their pocket all day, every day.
“Now that we have unlimited access to news, doomscrolling has become more ubiquitous,” Trunzo says.
On top of constant news updates, websites and social media platforms curate information based on the content you consume, so — say you’re viewing negative information — the platforms will feed you similar types of information.
According to Trunzo, doomscrolling can have a profound impact on a person’s health. Not only is it a distraction that takes you off your task at hand (think: work, being present with family, attending a social event), but it's a distraction that feeds negative emotions.
“They call it doomscrolling for a reason; it feeds anxiety and depression because it feeds this sense that everything is wrong with the world, that everything is falling apart, and we're all ‘doomed,’” Trunzo says. “When you're in that headspace for excessive periods of time, then it's not a huge leap to recognize that that can feed certain psychiatric disorders.”
Dealing with doomscrolling in his clinical practice, Trunzo notes that it’s important to break the cycle by having people disengage — whether that means going on a ‘news freeze’ or allocating a specific amount of time each day for news updates. Furthermore, individuals need to engage in an alternative activity they find fulfilling.
“It's really about getting people reengaged with their life and feeling more productive — like they have some sense of control and influence in their immediate sphere of existence,” Trunzo says.
On the flip side, breaking the doomscrolling habit also requires recognizing that much of the news is out of our control and involves worldwide, geopolitical issues.
“Focus on things you have the ability to make better: Change your diet, exercise, talk to people more, be more social, engage in spiritual activities,” Trunzo says.
He emphasizes that while it's important to be aware of what's going on in the world, there is a fine line before you start spiraling down the rabbit hole.
“If you start to feel like you have a persistent negative mood, persistent anxiety, or you're too distracted and are not getting tasks done at your job or in your life, that's when you should take a self-inventory and say, ‘I need to get this under control,’” Trunzo says. “If you feel like the impact of what you're doing is interfering with your ability to live your life the way that you want or need to, that's when you should seek professional help.”