{"id":3393,"date":"2026-04-14T12:26:31","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T15:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ufpb.br\/efopli\/?page_id=3393"},"modified":"2026-04-14T16:57:47","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T19:57:47","slug":"doomscrolling","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.ufpb.br\/efopli\/doomscrolling\/","title":{"rendered":"Doomscrolling"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

According to psychologists, the phenomenon of doomscrolling is characterized by the compulsive consumption of negative news and is deeply rooted in human evolutionary biology rather than just a modern lack of self-control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From: https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/share\/18172XtVqX\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susan Tapert (2025), a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, highlights what happening with our brain while we are doomscrolling:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen 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\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research suggests our brains have a negativity bias, an evolutionary trait that focuses more on threatening or negative information (Tapert 2025).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Illustration image from: https:\/\/medium.com\/@allykaymoms\/caught-in-the-web-of-doom-scrolling-69e36819f7ea<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Complementing this biological perspective, Cory Smith (2025), a senior lecturer in psychology at Middle Georgia State University (MGA), explains that doomscrolling acts as an “ancient threat-detection system running wild in the digital age<\/em>\u201d. This behavior is particularly detrimental because it often stems from an “intolerance of uncertainty,<\/em>” where the user believes that more information will provide control, though it actually leads to \u201cincreased psychological distress<\/em>\u201d (SATICI et al, 2023; apud SMITH, 2025) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research around the world indicates that this habit is a significant predictor of existential anxiety, stress, and a decrease in overall life satisfaction (SATICI et al<\/em>, 2023; apud<\/em> SMITH, 2025) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to The Mental Health Foundation (2021), here are some signs of doomscrolling : <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n