Doomscrolling

The Psychology Behind Our Obsession with Bad News

As a psychology professor, I often find myself in conversations with students about the ways modern life shapes our thoughts and behaviors. Some of these discussions are academic, rooted in theories of cognition, stress, and media influence. Others are more personal: students coming to visit me during my office hours, weary-eyed and overwhelmed, asking why they can’t stop scrolling through bad news even though it makes them feel worse.

They describe lying in bed at night, endlessly refreshing their feeds, unable to look away from world updates, economic turmoil, political scandals, and natural disasters. They tell me about the anxiety that builds with each headline, the sense of helplessness that grows with every swipe. They ask, “Why do I do this to myself?” and, more urgently, “How do I stop?”

These conversations stick with me because I see this pattern not just in students, but in colleagues, friends, and even in myself. Doomscrolling isn’t just a quirky habit of the digital age, it’s a psychological response deeply wired into the human brain - one that exploits our survival instincts and cognitive biases in ways we don’t fully realize. I decided to write this article because I see the toll it’s taking on my students, and on people who are trying to stay informed but end up emotionally exhausted, trapped in an endless cycle of distressing content. My hope is that by understanding the psychology behind doomscrolling, we can begin to break free from its grip, regain control of our attention, and engage with the world in a way that informs us rather than drains us.

So, What Is Doomscrolling?

There’s a moment we’ve all experienced. You open your phone just to check something quickly — maybe an email, maybe the weather — but before you know it, you’re scrolling. A half-hour passes, then another. Each new story is more distressing than the last: economic collapse, war, climate disasters, political turmoil. You feel worse with every swipe, but you can’t seem to stop.

This phenomenon, known as doomscrolling, is more than just a bad habit. It is a deeply ingrained psychological response to uncertainty, anxiety, and the way modern media is designed to capture our attention. The compulsion to consume negative news isn’t a personal failing, it’s the result of powerful cognitive biases, emotional triggers, and the mechanics of the digital world. Understanding why we doomscroll, and how to break the cycle, can offer relief from the anxiety trap that keeps so many people glued to their screens.

The Evolutionary Pull of Negative Information

Human beings have always been drawn to bad news. From an evolutionary standpoint, paying close attention to threats was a survival mechanism. Early humans who were hyper-aware of dangers, such as predators, poisonous plants, or violent conflicts, were more likely to avoid harm and pass on their genes. While most of us no longer face physical threats on a daily basis, our brains are still wired to prioritize negative information.

This tendency is known as the negativity bias, a well-documented psychological phenomenon in which people pay more attention to bad news than good news. Studies have shown that negative events are remembered more vividly, processed more deeply, and carry more psychological weight than positive ones. This bias is why news outlets often lead with crises and catastrophes; it’s not necessarily a reflection of how bad the world is, but rather a response to what gets the most engagement.

Doomscrolling takes this natural tendency and amplifies it. With a nearly endless supply of distressing headlines, our brains latch onto the worst of what’s available, reinforcing the belief that the world is spiraling out of control.

The Role of Anxiety and the Illusion of Control

One of the most deceptive aspects of doomscrolling is the illusion that it provides some kind of control. When uncertainty looms, whether it’s a global pandemic, political instability, or financial insecurity, people instinctively seek out information. The belief is that if we just read enough, if we stay informed, we can somehow prepare ourselves for whatever is coming next.

This instinct is understandable. Research on intolerance of uncertainty shows that people who struggle with unpredictable situations often develop compulsive information-seeking behaviors. But the paradox is that doomscrolling rarely provides clarity or actionable solutions. Instead, it floods the mind with overwhelming, often conflicting information that increases stress rather than alleviating it.

Compounding the issue is the fact that most digital content is designed to keep users engaged, not to inform them in a meaningful way. The attention economy thrives on strong emotional responses, particularly fear and outrage. Social media algorithms prioritize posts that generate reactions, which means that the most sensational, anxiety-inducing content is often pushed to the top of people’s feeds.

Mean world syndrome is a cognitive bias in which prolonged exposure to violent, negative, or distressing media leads individuals to perceive the world as more dangerous and hostile than it actually is. Coined by communications researcher George Gerbner, this phenomenon is particularly prevalent among heavy consumers of news and social media, where a steady stream of crime, conflict, and catastrophe skews perceptions of reality. Those affected by mean world syndrome often develop heightened fear, mistrust, and anxiety, believing that crime rates are rising, people are inherently dangerous, and society is on the brink of collapse — even when statistical data suggests otherwise. This distorted worldview can influence behavior, leading to increased stress, social withdrawal, and a diminished sense of security.

The Cognitive Distortions Behind Doomscrolling

Doomscrolling is not just a behavior, it’s a mindset shaped by cognitive distortions. One of the most common is catastrophizing, the tendency to assume the worst possible outcome. When every news update suggests impending disaster, it’s easy to believe that things will only get worse, reinforcing a cycle of hopelessness.

Another distortion at play is the availability heuristic, which causes people to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily they can recall similar examples. If every story in your newsfeed is about crime, corruption, or catastrophe, your brain begins to overestimate how common these events actually are. This can lead to what psychologists call “mean world syndrome,” where constant exposure to negative news fosters a belief that the world is far more dangerous and broken than it actually is.

Doomscrolling also interacts with confirmation bias, which drives people to seek out information that aligns with their existing fears and anxieties. Someone who already feels pessimistic about the future may unconsciously filter out positive news and focus only on evidence that supports their worst fears.

The Physiological Toll of Constant Bad News

The psychological effects of doomscrolling don’t just stay in the mind, they manifest in the body as well. Repeated exposure to distressing content can activate the sympathetic nervous system, triggering the body’s stress response. Increased cortisol levels, elevated heart rate, and muscle tension are all physical reactions to perceived threats, even when those threats are coming from a phone screen.

Chronic stress from excessive news consumption has been linked to anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances. Studies have shown that people who consume large amounts of negative news are more likely to experience symptoms of acute stress disorder, even if they are not directly affected by the events they are reading about. In extreme cases, this can lead to vicarious trauma, where individuals internalize the suffering of others to the point that it begins to impact their mental and emotional well-being.

The Social Media Trap and the Endless Scroll

Tech companies understand these psychological vulnerabilities and exploit them for profit. Social media platforms, news websites, and digital publishers are all competing for attention, using algorithmic reinforcement to keep users engaged. The infinite scroll, autoplay videos, and personalized recommendations are not accidental, they are carefully engineered to encourage compulsive consumption.

The endless nature of the feed means that there is no natural stopping point. Unlike a newspaper, which has a finite number of pages, social media never signals to the brain that it’s time to stop. This creates a dopamine-driven feedback loop, where every new piece of information provides a small hit of stimulation, reinforcing the habit even when it becomes distressing.

Breaking the Doomscrolling Cycle

Understanding why doomscrolling happens is the first step toward breaking free from it. But knowledge alone isn’t enough; changing the habit requires conscious effort and intentional action.

One of the most effective strategies is setting boundaries on news consumption. This doesn’t mean disengaging from current events entirely, but rather creating structure around when and how news is consumed. Choosing a specific time of day to check the news, rather than mindlessly scrolling, can help reduce the compulsion to constantly seek updates.

Curating information sources also plays a crucial role. Traditional media outlets, which rely on rigorous journalistic standards, are often less sensationalist than social media platforms. Subscribing to reputable newsletters or setting a daily limit on social media usage can help filter out the worst of the algorithm-driven content.

Practicing cognitive reframing can also mitigate the effects of doomscrolling. Recognizing catastrophizing tendencies and challenging them with more balanced perspectives helps prevent negative news from overwhelming the psyche. Instead of automatically assuming that every crisis signals impending disaster, individuals can learn to assess situations with greater nuance and perspective.

Another powerful tool is mindfulness, which encourages present-moment awareness and emotional regulation. Engaging in activities that foster relaxation, such as meditation, exercise, or time in nature, can counterbalance the effects of chronic stress. Research has shown that even short breaks from digital devices can significantly improve mood and cognitive function.

Moving Toward a Healthier Relationship with Information

Doomscrolling thrives on fear, uncertainty, and the psychological vulnerabilities that make negative news hard to resist. But while the impulse to seek out bad news is deeply ingrained, it is not an inescapable fate. By understanding the cognitive biases, emotional triggers, and technological manipulations that drive doomscrolling, individuals can reclaim control over their attention and mental well-being.

The goal isn’t to turn away from the world, but to choose how we engage with it. We can decide whether we will be swept into a current of fear and helplessness or whether we will stand firm, curating our attention with purpose. Doomscrolling feeds the illusion that we are staying informed, when in reality, it often leaves us drained and disconnected. But we are not powerless in this equation. By recognizing the psychological traps that keep us scrolling, we can step back, take control, and engage with the world on our own terms — not as passive consumers of distress, but as active participants in a life that deserves our full presence.