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What is doomscrolling

Doomscrolling is the habit of consuming negative or alarming content compulsively, even when it makes you feel worse.

Short answer

Doomscrolling means repeatedly scrolling through distressing, threatening or emotionally activating content. It sticks because it mixes novelty, threat and variable reward into one loop.

Simple definition

Doomscrolling is the pattern of continuing to consume negative content even after you feel mentally saturated, anxious or emotionally worse.

Why it works so well

The brain prioritizes novelty and threat. Platforms that feed both can trap attention longer than users intend.

What to do

Reduce triggers, set clear time boundaries and work on breaking the scrolling loop.