The dopamine trap: Understanding the neuroscience of doomscrolling

The lockdowns might have ended, but smartphone usage remained high even after the most severe restrictions eased. 

The concept of “doomscrolling” rose to prominence during the early stages of the pandemic. As people found themselves confined to their homes, many compulsively consumed the constant stream of updates about the virus’s spread.

This term describes the habit of endlessly scrolling through negative news stories and social media posts, a behavior that can potentially harm mental health by inducing anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances.

A 2022 study conducted by the University of Florida revealed that doomscrolling is a distinct and novel behavior. Interestingly, while those engaged in this practice are often aware of their actions, many find it difficult to stop despite acknowledging the negative impact it has on their well-being.

Novel information provides a dopamine boost

While the pandemic intensified doomscrolling, the behavior predates COVID-19.

Similar concepts like “doom-surfing” and “mindless scrolling” existed before 2020, describing the compulsive consumption of online content without a clear purpose.

The idea of “scrolling addiction” has also been around for some time, with some individuals reportedly experiencing withdrawal symptoms when trying to reduce their screen time. The pandemic merely highlighted and exacerbated these existing digital habits.

These scrolling behaviors are fundamentally linked to our brain’s reward system, driven by dopamine. This neurotransmitter, associated with pleasure and motivation, is released in small amounts as we anticipate finding new information while scrolling.

This creates a sense of reward, encouraging continued scrolling even before we encounter specific content.

Social media and news feeds employ a variable reward system similar to slot machines. The unpredictability of when we’ll find engaging content is particularly effective at triggering dopamine release.

Each discovery of novel or emotionally charged information (often prevalent in negative news) provides a small dopamine boost, reinforcing the behavior and creating a hard-to-break feedback loop.

Frequent doomscrolling or mindless scrolling can actually reshape our brain’s structure. Through a process called Hebbian learning, the neural pathways associated with these behaviors become stronger with repetition.

As a result, the more we engage in these scrolling habits, the more ingrained they become, making it increasingly difficult to break the cycle.

Negativity bias

Despite doomscrolling’s focus on negative content, it still triggers dopamine release. This occurs not only from consuming the content but also from satisfying our curiosity, even with bad news.

It provides a sense of certainty, a feeling of “being informed.” While we don’t inherently enjoy negativity, doomscrolling taps into our negativity bias—a cognitive tendency where negative information has a stronger impact on our behavior and thinking than positive information.

Humans evolved to prioritize negative stimuli for survival. Our ancestors needed to quickly identify threats like predators, as ignoring potential danger could be fatal.

This hardwiring persists in our modern brains, making us attentive to negative information online, even though today’s “threats” are less dire.

While this evolutionary trait helped our ancestors survive, an unchecked focus on negative content can distort our perception of reality. This “mean world syndrome” can lead to anxiety, depression, and catastrophic thinking, painting the world as more frightening than it actually is.

The role of the algorithm

Social media algorithms play a significant role in doom-scrolling and mindless scrolling as they exploit our inherent biases and psychological vulnerabilities. They are engineered to keep us engaged, usually measured by metrics such as likes, comments, shares, and time spent on the platform. 

The infinite scroll design continuously loads new content, eliminating the natural stopping points that would otherwise exist when reaching the end of a page. The lack of visible cues like page numbers or “next” buttons makes it easier for us to lose track of time spent scrolling down our feeds.

But how do these algorithms decide what content to show us? In what’s known as the “attention economy”, our focus is a valuable commodity, so algorithms try to keep us hooked as much as possible by tracking our online activity and preferences to curate a feed that shows us content we are more likely to click on or engage with.  

Suppose you consistently scroll past certain content without clicking or engaging. In that case, the algorithm might infer you’re not interested in it and reduce the amount of similar content you see in the future. 

This creates a filtering effect, where you’re primarily exposed to content that aligns with your past interactions, contributing to what’s known as “filter bubbles” and “echo chambers.”

A filter bubble is an online environment where your previous online behavior (search history, likes, shares, and shopping habits) influences what you see. An echo chamber describes a situation where you’re primarily surrounded by information from people who share your existing beliefs.

In both cases, you’re only exposed to information that aligns with your existing opinions and interests, and you gradually become isolated from diverse perspectives and alternative viewpoints. As a result, your perceptions of social reality may become increasingly skewed and disconnected from objective facts.

Doomscrolling feeds on our evolutionary bias towards negative information. As we engage with pessimistic content, algorithms serve us more, creating a skewed worldview. This cycle makes it difficult to quit, as we’re hardwired to prioritize negative news, further distorting our perspective.

Breaking the cycle

Constant exposure to bad news triggers stress hormones like cortisol, impacting both mental and physical health. This persistent state of alertness can cause insomnia, irritability, concentration issues, headaches, and muscle tension. The ongoing news cycle, lacking resolution, further fuels anxiety and uncertainty.

Ironically, the same digital landscape that fosters doomscrolling can provide tools and strategies to help us regain control over our online habits. News aggregators with mood filters allow users to adjust the tone of the news they receive, balancing negative stories with more positive or neutral content. For example, the Good News Network and the Solutions Journalism Network focus on constructive and solution-oriented reporting.

To help manage scrolling habits, various digital tools have emerged. Many smartphones now include built-in features for monitoring and controlling screen time. These allow users to set daily app usage limits, designate periods for reduced phone activity, and receive alerts when they’re nearing their self-defined usage thresholds.

Third-party apps like Freedom, Forest, and RescueTime offer similar functionalities, often with more detailed analytics and cross-device syncing.

Apps like Habitica or Streaks can help users build healthier digital habits, such as limiting news consumption to specific times of day or incorporating more positive activities into their routines.

Responding to mental health concerns, social media platforms are implementing digital wellness features. These include break reminders, content warnings, and easy unfollowing options.

Ultimately, we retain control over our online experiences. By diversifying information sources, seeking varied perspectives, and monitoring our engagement, we can mitigate algorithmic bias and escape filter bubbles, fostering a healthier digital lifestyle.