Doomscrolling again? Expert explains why we’re wired for worry

How does doomscrolling affect our mental health? And why are our brains wired for worry? In a search for answers, UC San Diego Today spoke with Susan Tapert, Ph.D., a distinguished professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Tapert is a principal investigator and an associate director of the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study’s UC San Diego site, and in 2022 she was named one of the 1,000 Best Female Scientists in the World.

Here’s what she had to say about this trending buzzword and the science behind it:

From a psychiatric perspective, why are we so drawn to negative news? What is happening in the brain that makes doomscrolling so hard to resist?

Some research has suggested that our brains tend to have a negativity bias, an evolutionary survival trait that drives more attention to threatening or bad information. Negative images and news tend to spark more brain activity than positive information. Historically, being alert to dangers like predators or conflict meant a better chance of survival and were more likely to pass on their genes. Bad news grabs and holds our attention more strongly than good news and we process it more intensely—perhaps related to survival instinct types of reasons—which may be why negative headlines are hard to ignore.

When we encounter alarming news or other information, the emotional center of our brain, the limbic system, revs up. The amygdala, the center of fear and other emotions, sends stress signals and urges us to keep scanning for threats. Doomscrolling may satisfy this urge, as each update keeps us hypervigilant, as if staying glued to the news might protect us from danger. At the same time, the brain’s reward circuit can reinforce the pattern. As with other addictive behaviors, doomscrolling releases dopamine, a reward brain chemical, whenever we discover new information. So we create a feedback loop in which we seek out negative news: feel anxious yet momentarily rewarded by new data, then seek more. It can become very hard to resist the pull of news about potential threats.

How does constant exposure to negative news — whether it’s world events, disasters or polarizing content — affect our mental health over time?

​​If we frequently take in grim news, such as disasters, divisive debates, economic risks or possible loss of funding, our mental health can suffer, as the overload of negative news may spike our stress and anxiety levels. Our body may respond to repeated bad news as if it were in continuous danger, involving changes like stress hormone surges, increased heart rate and feeling on edge or exhausted. Over time, this could contribute to anxiety or depression.

An example of this is that after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, those who consumed over six hours of bombing-related media per day were nine times more likely to report high acute stress symptoms compared to those with minimal news exposure. Similarly, children between the ages of 9 and 11 who were exposed to more natural disaster-related news showed higher levels of stress and neural reactivity. A recent study of young adults found higher levels of pessimism and less trust of others after immersion in negative news. Other studies have found that people who take in more negative news report lower well-being and life satisfaction.

Can doomscrolling contribute to clinical issues like anxiety, depression or insomnia? Are there specific groups who are more vulnerable to the impacts?

Yes. Spending hours immersed in distressing news can fuel anxiety and depression and interfere with sleep. For someone predisposed to anxiety or low mood, scrolling upsetting stories can worsen those feelings and potentially reinforce negative thoughts, leading to a spiral in which anxiety leads to more scrolling, which in turn leads to more anxiety. Sleep problems may follow from scrolling the news, particularly if done late at night in bed. The brain stays stimulated and stressed, instead of winding down.

In fact, data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the largest study on youth brain development to date, showed that using screens at bedtime was associated with more sleep disturbances and nightmares. In addition, teens with heavier daily screen use had more anxiety and depression symptoms than those with less screen time. This doesn’t prove cause-and-effect, but suggests that excessive online immersion, like constant news scrolling, is linked to poorer mental health in youth. Consuming dire news before bed tells your brain “stay alert!”—the opposite of what it needs for rest—and some studies suggest the light of the phone can harm melatonin production, further messing up sleep.

Is there a difference between staying informed and doomscrolling? How can we tell when we’ve crossed that line?

There is a balance between staying informed and falling into a doomscrolling spiral. Distinctions are in your intent, emotional state and level of control. Staying informed means you check news with purpose—for example, reading the morning headlines or getting updates on specific topics for a limited amount of time, then moving on with your day. This leaves you feeling up on things but not overwhelmed.

Doomscrolling is characterized by a compulsive, almost mindless consumption of news, often without a real goal. It can happen when we scroll endlessly through feeds even after we’ve absorbed the key updates. A hallmark of doomscrolling is that it leaves you feeling more anxious, sad or angry. You might have reviewed headlines, but an hour later you’re still scrolling, and are emotionally drained. If you are losing sleep or skipping other activities to keep checking updates, or grabbing your phone first thing in the morning and last thing at night even if it makes you feel bad, you may be getting more news than is best for you.