Ever caught yourself endlessly scrolling through troubling news and feeling defeated? Read a headline that left you needing to put your phone down and stare into space? Do you wonder how an endless supply of information is affecting you?
Well, you’re not the only one. A new study from Flinders University [Flin-drz] suggests that doomscrolling isn’t just a harmless habit — it might be reshaping how we view life itself. Findings suggest that routine, habitual consumption of negative news can lead to a profound shift in our outlook on humanity and the meaning we construct from our lives.
Researchers found that scrolling through negative or disturbing stories can result in a kind of vicarious trauma, or one where you experience negative psychological impacts without directly going through the trauma yourself.
In their study, the researchers surveyed 800 university students from Iran and the United States, to better understand two culturally distinct groups and how they might respond to repeated negative news or stories. Participants reported how often they engaged in doomscrolling, their feelings about their existence, and their worldview — like whether the world is a fair place, and how they felt about humanity.
The results? Doomscrolling was linked to increased existential anxiety in both the American and Iranian groups.
Most days, we’re inundated, so it can be hard to keep tabs on how much time we spend consuming negative news. But this study, and pre-digital generations, remind us that taking breaks from social media and paying attention to our emotional well-being is crucial.
[MUSIC PLAYING] Here's today's edition of Health in a Heartbeat. Never got yourself endlessly scrolling through troubling news and feeling defeated? Read a headline that's left you needing to put your phone down and stare into space? Do you wonder how an endless supply of information is affecting you? Well, you're not the only one. A new study from Flinders University suggests that doom scrolling isn't just a harmless habit. It might be reshaping how we view life itself. Finding suggests that routine habitual consumption of negative news can lead to a profound shift in our outlook on humanity and the meaning we construct from our lives. Researchers found that scrolling through negative or disturbing stories can result in a kind of vicarious trauma or one where you experience negative psychological impacts without directly going through the trauma yourself. In their study, the researchers surveyed 800 university students from Iran and the United States to better understand two culturally distinct groups and how they might respond to repeated negative news or stories. Participants reported how often they engaged in doom scrolling, their feelings about their existence, and their worldview, like whether the world is a fair place and how they felt about humanity. The results, doom scrolling was linked to increased existential anxiety in both the American and Iranian groups. Most days were inundated, so it can be hard to keep tabs on how much time we spend consuming negative news. But this study and pre-digital generations remind us that taking breaks from social media and paying attention to our emotional well-being is crucial. Health in a heartbeat is produced by University of Florida Health committed to advancing excellence in patient care research and education, and by WUFTFM. Our medical advisors include University of Florida College of Medicine faculty members who provide the latest information and health research and patient care. Visit us at heartbeatradio.org. [MUSIC PLAYING] [MUSIC PLAYING] (gentle music)
