Doom scrolling: a damaging compulsion

VaughanJB said:
There is a game I play sometimes while listening to music (it's called 2048 Solitaire). It's a simple game, not complex. One day I was listening to a lot of music and I went on "auto mode" with it. That is, I was playing the card without really thinking about what I was doing. In other language, I'd say I "hit a groove". During that time I scored 306.57.

Next day I started it up with a goal of beating the high score, and I found I couldn't get anywhere near that. Ever since, I can't get near. During the "staring at the screen" something made sense that no longer makes sense. It's a fascinating thing. I guess what I'm saying is, it may look like someone has phased out, but in reality they may simply be in a groove, where you're doing things without having to second guess or calculation.

Play 2048 Solitaire | 100% Free Online Game | FreeGames.org
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Good point. Tho i've never understood the point of not trying to best your own top score. My millennial daughter and i play very different types of games. She plays first person 'story' games, Star Trek and Survivor. She also has a lot of Sims packages. The house design elements of Sims has a strong draw for us both but that's exactly why i won't even start with it---as a young teen in the late 50s, i used to spend hours drawing house plans on graph paper. i'd be lost to this world if i could see them in 3D and rotate, tour the houses.

Me, i play some solitaire but more 'matching' and word games (BookWorm a favorite) the matching ones are more complex than most think because you have to focus to bypass certain brain 'assumptions' --the ones i play have several elements (color, number of objects as well as exact size shape of objects) that much be matched exactly, not just one object and all displayed on same background.

Despite the differences in what we play both of us can get in 'the zone' (the groove), and we have both found that doing so can back off awareness physical pain as well distress over state of the world. But then i get that when i find the zone while splitting wood for kindling and hauling/stacking firewood in the house. i may ache after i stop but i can hold it at bay while doing it.
 

feywon said:
Recently someone posted on FB about a book titled: The World Was Always Awful; A Guide to World History for People Who Romanticize the Past.
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That sounds like an interesting read. Romanticizing the past is something I don't do, Leave it to Beaver was a glorified version of reality which just didn't coincide with my experiences...
 

Nathan said:
That sounds like an interesting read. Romanticizing the past is something I don't do, Leave it to Beaver was a glorified version of reality which just didn't coincide with my experiences...
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Totally agree, but if you read enough history one should know most of the worst of it already. Tho if didn't already have a stack of books almost as tall as me i'd like to read before i die, i might get that book, or at least see if my library has it.

For at least the last half century of my life i've been more concerned with doing what good i can where i am with what little i have than talking about the past, except when conversing here or when necessary to try to show someone how things many 'celebrate' about humanity's past have actually led to some pretty self-destructive patterns/norms of human behavior.
 
If the news is stressing you out, it is not good for your health and you need to take a break!

Recently, my son's new house crawl space got all flooded from heavy rain. Since I helped him look at the house I felt bad that i did not foresee this. I know, I shouldn't feel that way, but it does and it was keeping me up at 3AM. So I helped him remedy the situation by helping him put in a sump pump and redirect water in other ways. Now I can sleep! So sometimes you just need to do what you need to do to. Sometimes you can't do anything so you need to find a way to get something else on your mind.

Also, when faced with dire news or events, I will find some funny things to watch and get a good laugh. I like the Studio C clips.
 
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Bumping. Have been sucked into more negative online news than my health needs lately and searched to see if there was already a doomscrolling one. Great thread @Nathan and really good discussion.

Found this excellent article about why we doomscroll, what it does to us and how to counteract it. Pasting a few excerpts below. The whole article and related links are great but would make a really long post!


Neuroscience of Doomscrolling: The Brain in Action

Why Humans Are Wired for Negative News​

Humans have an evolutionary trait known as the “negativity bias,” where we are more attuned to negative information than positive. This made sense in our ancestral environment, where avoiding threats was key to survival. While threats today may not be life-or-death, our brains still prioritize negative stimuli, drawing us toward distressing updates in an effort to stay informed and avoid perceived risks.

Neuroplasticity: The Potential for Addiction​

The brain’s incredible ability to form new neural connections, known as neuroplasticity, becomes a double-edged sword when it comes to doomscrolling. Repeated scrolling trains the brain to associate negative news consumption with a habitual response, reinforcing the behavior to the point of addiction.

Dopamine Hits and the Role of “Intermittent Rewards”​

Doomscrolling thrives on the same principles as slot machines—intermittent rewards. Each scroll might reveal a major update or nothing at all, but the unpredictability consistently activates dopamine release, reinforcing your need to keep scrolling for that next hit of information.

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and Biological Drives​

Your biological drive to stay connected and informed is also fueled by a fear of missing out (FOMO). This compulsion to stay updated prevents us from disengaging, leading to continuous scrolling in search of closure or “latest” updates.


How to Break the Cycle: Science-Backed Strategies​


Practicing Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Techniques​

Mindfulness can help retrain your brain to focus on the present, reducing stress triggers and breaking doomscrolling habits.

Setting Digital Boundaries and Social Media Hygiene​

Practical steps include time limits for screen use, turning off news notifications, or even removing apps that encourage compulsive scrolling.

Developing Positive News Habits​

Curating uplifting, informative content can create balance. Intentionally seeking positive media reduces the fixed negativity exposure.





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I don't even watch the news , I call it the doom and gloom show …..have so for years .

TV was on last night just before the news ~ cause I like watching Tipping point show that’s on right before, of course we get a idea during tipping point what’s going to be on the news …they gave 5 …top gloom news stories that would be on at 6 pm ….so the TV went off ….
 
AnnieA said:
Bumping. Have been sucked into more negative news than my health needs lately and searched to see if there was already a doomscrolling one. Great thread @Nathan and really good discussion.

Found this excellent article about why we doomscroll, what it does to us and how to counteract it. Pasting a few excerpts below. The whole article and related links are great but would make a really long post!


Neuroscience of Doomscrolling: The Brain in Action

Why Humans Are Wired for Negative News​

Humans have an evolutionary trait known as the “negativity bias,” where we are more attuned to negative information than positive. This made sense in our ancestral environment, where avoiding threats was key to survival. While threats today may not be life-or-death, our brains still prioritize negative stimuli, drawing us toward distressing updates in an effort to stay informed and avoid perceived risks.

Neuroplasticity: The Potential for Addiction​

The brain’s incredible ability to form new neural connections, known as neuroplasticity, becomes a double-edged sword when it comes to doomscrolling. Repeated scrolling trains the brain to associate negative news consumption with a habitual response, reinforcing the behavior to the point of addiction.

Dopamine Hits and the Role of “Intermittent Rewards”​

Doomscrolling thrives on the same principles as slot machines—intermittent rewards. Each scroll might reveal a major update or nothing at all, but the unpredictability consistently activates dopamine release, reinforcing your need to keep scrolling for that next hit of information.

Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) and Biological Drives​

Your biological drive to stay connected and informed is also fueled by a fear of missing out (FOMO). This compulsion to stay updated prevents us from disengaging, leading to continuous scrolling in search of closure or “latest” updates.


How to Break the Cycle: Science-Backed Strategies​


Practicing Mindfulness and Cognitive Behavioral Techniques​

Mindfulness can help retrain your brain to focus on the present, reducing stress triggers and breaking doomscrolling habits.

Setting Digital Boundaries and Social Media Hygiene​

Practical steps include time limits for screen use, turning off news notifications, or even removing apps that encourage compulsive scrolling.

Developing Positive News Habits​

Curating uplifting, informative content can create balance. Intentionally seeking positive media reduces the fixed negativity exposure.





​

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Good post, thank you, Annie.

Neuro plasticity has very good sides, but gosh this article points out the harmful potential for it as well.

I'm going to read carefully the suggestions for counteracting human tendancy toward negative news.
 
I watch the news in the morning and in the evening. I want to be aware of what's going on, whether good or bad. More bad is reported since bad is more newsworthy, but some of today's news was good, since it reported that crime is down nationwide.

from CBS
 
I'll get back to you with my comments as soon as I finish reading how the people of Shungruntistan are going to start exporting their supply of self sharpening pencils, putting millions of pencil sharpeners out of work.
 
I go through phases where I do this with youtube. They have some interesting stuff, a lot which is inaccurate. I know when to quit and don't take much of it very seriously.
 
3 of the news gloom and doom ~ stories ….were horrifying …it had been on TV everyday for 2 weeks + because it happened about 100 km from where I live … the same young man who was murdered by his former reality star girlfriend … (from Aust TV beauty and the Geek )

Its as gruesome as it gets~ he’s only just been farewelled due to authorities trying to locate his head.
Port Lincoln community mourns Julian Story as murder investigation continues
 
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Nathan said:
Doomscrolling or doomsurfing is the act of spending an excessive amount of time reading large quantities of negative news online. In 2019, a study by the National Academy of Sciences found that doomscrolling can be linked to a decline in mental and physical health.

The practice of doomscrolling can be compared to an older phenomenon from the 1970s called the mean world syndrome, described as "the belief that the world is a more dangerous place to live in than it actually is as a result of long-term exposure to violence-related content on television". Studies show that seeing upsetting news leads people to seek out more information on the topic, creating a self-perpetuating cycle.

In common parlance, the word "doom" connotes darkness and evil, referring to one's fate (cf. damnation).In the early online days, "surfing" was a common verb used in reference to browsing the internet; similarly, the word "scrolling" refers to sliding through online text, images, etc.Though the word "doomscrolling" is not found in their dictionary itself, Merriam-Webster is "watching" the term—a designation for words receiving increased use in society that do not yet meet their criteria for inclusion. Dictionary.com chose it as the top monthly trend in August 2020.The Macquarie Dictionary named doomscrolling as the 2020 Committee's Choice Word of the Year.
Popularity

The term gained popularity in the early 2020s through events such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the George Floyd protests, the 2020 U.S. presidential election, the 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol, and the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, all of which have been noted to have exacerbated the practice of doomscrolling.

Doomscrolling became widespread among Twitter users during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has also been discussed in relation to the climate crisis
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Same with news stories. How many times do we get bad news stories posted, as opposed to good stories? People seem to like drama.
 
Kaila said:
Good post, thank you, Annie.

Neuro plasticity has very good sides, but gosh this article points out the harmful potential for it as well.

I'm going to read carefully the suggestions for counteracting human tendancy toward negative news.
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As someone who has battled depression for most of my life, mostly successfully tho i had a huge relapse not too long ago, I know there are various tactics available. With self knowledge and mindfulness you can find ones that will work for you.

For me, daily doses of learning (science, history, psychology) and of hopeful stories of humans actually being humane toward others as well as animals being sweet and funny, are necessary. Others might need less or more doses of whatever helps counter the weight negativity for them.
 
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