Doomscrolling linked to poor physical and mental health, study finds

[Celerity]

The tendency to be glued to bad news can spark a ‘vicious cycle’ that interferes with our lives, researcher says

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/sep/06/doomscrolling-linked-to-poor-physical-and-mental-health-study-finds



There’s no shortage of bad news in the media to “doomscroll”, from a global pandemic to the war in Ukraine and an impending climate crisis, but new research suggests the compulsive urge to surf the web can lead to poor mental and physical health outcomes.

Doomscrolling is the tendency to “continue to surf or scroll through bad news, even though that news is saddening, disheartening or depressing”, a practice researchers found has boomed since the onset of the pandemic. The study, published in the journal Health Communication, found 16.5% of about 1,100 people surveyed showed signs of “severely problematic” news consumption, leading to greater levels stress, anxiety and poor health.

Associate Prof Bryan McLaughlin, the study’s lead author and a researcher at Texas Tech University, said the 24-hour-news cycle could bring about a “constant state of high alert” in some people, making the world seem like a “dark and dangerous place”.

“For these individuals, a vicious cycle can develop in which, rather than tuning out, they become drawn further in, obsessing over the news and checking for updates around the clock to alleviate their emotional distress,” he said. “But it doesn’t help, and the more they check the news, the more it begins to interfere with other aspects of their lives.”

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[CentralMass]

1. Damm I've been pegged.

[renate]

2. thank you for posting this!

Just today I started following a bunch of Twitter accounts about topics that will bring me joy and make me laugh instead of informing me about the news. It's important to make room for both.

Puppies and kittens and animals in general are a calming antidote to the hilarious-and-accurate-yet-enraging tweets from Jeff Tiedrich, Noel Casler, et al.

[LisaM]

3. This is a good reminder.

I have to force myself to break away from the news at times.

[Bleacher Creature]

4. I'm now doomscrolling about doomscrolling.

It's time to break this cycle.

[Ocelot II]

5. When I start obsessing over bad news I catscroll. It helps.

[BigmanPigman]

7. I was just going to post something similar.

Cute animal videos are a must when you scroll through the news over the last 6 years. They have saved me mentally many times.

[Brainfodder]

6. OOF and dark sense of humor is keeping me from total meltdown.

Cannabis too.

HTF we are still basically debating if TFG is a criminal?

HTF we are stuck in this TFG fan fueled loop of endless stupidity, excuses, and lies?

HTF we are basically hostage to the stupids and their exploiters?

[AKwannabe]

9. Right on. nt

[Sympthsical]

8. Fear, anxiety, emotional frailty, rage, etc.

That's like half of the social media I see while glancing around. Just flick around, and it's all hyper-elevated emotional states on a daily basis. Everything in the news that day is the Most Important Thing Ever in that moment. Then the next moment, something else is fixated upon as the Most Important Thing Ever.

I honestly don't know how people do it every. single. day.

There is this website. I really wish I could find it. It showed a large decade-long calendar. "What the Internet Was Outraged About That Week." And it noted all the most popular stories, articles, trends, and viral stories at the time. While going through, I kept thinking, "I don't remember any of this."

Most of the information consumed on a daily basis online and with cable news seems to be utterly disposable. Take DU for instance. I honestly do not remember what I've said or posted two or three days after I've posted it. I have to go into my history and think, "Oh right, that's a conversation I apparently had." Now, I'm self-aware enough to know that my posting here is "I literally have nothing better to do at the moment." Inconsequential. Just shooting the shit to pass time in between whatever it is I do all day. So that being disposable in my memory is no shakes.

However, think of all the daily outrages that get people worked up. Every story, tweet, and throwaway article that gets the blood pressure spiking only to be forgotten the very next day.

I saw a post above me say, "I need to remember to take a break from the news." But that's twisted around. The news should be a break from everything else that is going on. News should be something you check in on now and then - not something glued to for hours and hours every single day.

Cortisol is a thing.

I'm every bit as informed as anyone else. I check the news for 15 minutes maybe in the morning. A quick glance over during the day during down times. Then a little in the evening if I'm bored. That's it. All that's necessary. My resting heart rate is 57 and my blood pressure is 113/78. I don't think that's a coincidence.

Rage, anger, and fear are all addictive emotional states. The hormonal imbalances created make changes in the brain. It's not even a slightly healthy lifestyle. It shouldn't be bragged about nor encouraged. People who are stuck on the news for hours and hours everyday need to recognize that, yes, they have a problem with negative health effects, and the change in hormones and resultant moods probably affect those around them.

My scrolling is hobbies interests on Reddit, articles that sprout out of that, and ASMR in my headphones. It's very pleasant. I - now, bear with me on this one - manage to go through life without believing the world is OVER, PEOPLE!!!! on a minute to minute basis.

It also helps in seeing things more clearly, when things aren't constantly fogged up by these unending emotional states.

[screamcheese]

10. Disaster Porn

I doomscroll for disaster porn. Very addictive!

[wnylib]

11. I head for the DU Lounge or Pets

for relief.

Or, scroll through history documentaries, genealogy sites, and animal videos. Lately, I have found some past American Idol videos uplifting for the happoness and excitement of winners and the humor of the stand-up comedian contestants.

[hunter]

12. Is it a symptom or a cause of mental health issues?

I'm an amateur evolutionary biologist by natural inclination and some formal training. Whenever I start to be obsessed with the daily "news cycle" I imagine what the world will be like in 10,000 or a million years...

I don't watch any television news or opinion. While reading news I tend to skip over the designated daily disasters, and there are enough murders in my own city that I'm not compelled to pay much attention to those that become national news.

[MissMillie]

13. I think my sister does "ragescrolling"

and she's developing a very short fuse and lack of patience about EVERYTHING.

And yeah, I'm worried about her.

[Bucky]

14. Someone that should invent joyscrolling

Oh wait, that's called gardening

[highplainsdem]

15. Agree completely. I turn to music as an antidote and share some of that

music here (well, not in GD very often, but in the Lounge and Music Appreciation).

And I'll watch funny videos, too, and often share those.

[KS Toronado]

19. When needed I'll switch the channel to

Vintage Bugs Bunny & his coworkers. B W had the best toons, IMHO

[Wrestlefire769]

16. Stupid question for those who put this together...

What happens if a lot of this stuff is real, might imminently impact our lives, and we couldn't escape it if we wanted to?

Almost sounds like someone (not here) wants ignorance to be bliss, no matter the cost.

[Bucky]

17. Somewhere between the two extremes

and this can be said about many addictions... there's a difference between responsible use and self destructive obsession. You should be aware of the world situation, but don't let it worry you into inaction or catatonia. Just like you should eat, but not gorge yourself; drink, but don't descend into a stupor; party responsibly, but don't go back for that third speedball. Moderation in all things, my friend.

[Wrestlefire769]

18. I get that, but what for people for whom, if action is not imminently taken, they are killed?

We have to be aware of that type of a situation, or we might lose friends, roommates, even places to live if certain situations aren't monitored closely.