OHIO — Bad news can dominate our social media feeds, causing some to spiral into a rabbit hole of negativity that can harm your health.
There’s actually a term for that behavior, and there are ways to stop it.
Since 2018, psychologists called that habit “doomscrolling.”
“Doomscrolling is a behavior that we engage in that loops us into a cycle of negativity,” said Dr. Sheerli Ratner, a MetroHealth clinical psychologist. She says the craving for negativity is a primal survival skill part of our genetic makeup.
“The idea of reducing doomscrolling is very counterintuitive because we think, on a primal, on a survival level that the more information, the more we surround ourselves with the things that we worry about, the safer we’ll be, but it’s actually the opposite is true,” said Ratner.
2020 has been a chaotic year, which has intensified doomscrolling—COVID-19, pandemic-related job loss, and people spending more time at home are contributing factors.
“As we start to read a story that has doom and gloom to it, our anxiety levels go up. And what does that do? That actually makes us want to go and read another story and another story, because now we want more information because we think that the more information that we can get about the negativity, the more we will be able to control it,” said Ratner.
Doctors report doomscrolling can increase anxiety, cause poor sleep and weaken your immune system. To avoid seeing the world through a negative lens, experts say awareness and personal boundaries are critical.
One way to break the cycle is to set a timer to remind your brain to stop. Ratner recommends no more than 20 minutes of doomscrolling at a time.
“Every time you pick up that phone, what am I going in here to look for, did I find the information? Great. Can I put it down now?” she said.
Other tips include picking up something light to read before bed instead and not starting your day on social media.
Psychologists say it’s important to find the balance of being informed with maintaining a “glass half-full” outlook. Ratner says fear-based motivation may be the best bet.
“If you don’t do this, your life will get worse and be more dangerous. So, take note guys, right? This will make your life worse if you don’t do it. So, if that doesn’t scare you what will?” Ratner pleaded.
