Why does Doom scrolling happen- And How to Prevent it

By NAFISA AHMED

Have you ever wondered why whenever you open TikTok every night, and fall into a rabbit hole, only to find yourself awake at 3 a.m. within ‘seconds’? One after another, that one viral cat meme, conspiracy theory, or celebrity gossip, you are in this paralyzed position where you just ‘can’t’ make yourself stop. 

If this is you, then congratulations-you have been doom scrolling. 

Now unlike what your parents or people around say “It’s all because of the phone” phrase, your brain is actually modeled to crave this nonsense. Crazy right? Well here’s the science part to it.

Negativity Bias

Our brains are wired to prioritize threatful atmospheres - evolved as survival mechanisms. Bad and ‘spicy’ news stimulates us into this negativity-biased catalyst which becomes almost impossible to ignore. It is almost like your brain treats “Breaking news- X has died” as a lion attack. 

Dopamine stimuli/triggers 

The uncertainty of each reel or TikTok makes it more ‘reward worthy’ and exhilarating and thus your neurotransmitters release dopamine that reinforces that behavior. Basically your brain is playing with your dopamine release like a slot machine with each scroll being a gamble. 

Another impact and reason for doomscrolling is the blue HEV light of your phone’s screen. According to Havard Health studies in 2020, blue light interferes with your melatonin production, resulting in sleep disruption and anxiety. Less sleep = more stress = more doomscrolling. You fall into a vicious, glow-in-the-dark cycle.

Now you must wonder is there a way to break away from this? 

Yes, and just like your brain you trick her back. Instead of just putting the phone down or setting alarms, here are a few hacks that actually work.

The most common misconception about doomscrolling is that it is known as habit, where in fact it is a compulsive neurological response of your brain. So, instead of resisting it, hack the craving using the 5-minute rule.

 Whenever  you catch yourself doom-scrolling, pause and ask:  

  "Will this matter in 5 minutes? 5 hours? 5 days?"  

  - This disrupts autopilot mode by engaging with the prefrontal cortex aka. your "rational brain"

Another thing you can do is the Replace, don’t restrict tactic

 For Example:* "If I open Twitter in bed, I must first read one Kindle page."  

This way you’re slowly detaching yourself from that neverending cycle.

Next up is Break the "Infinite Scroll" Illusion

Make Your Phone Boring. Studies show the vibrant color scheme and the easy accessibility of your phone often tend to have a partial part in doomscrolling. So try  

  - Grayscale mode (iOS/Android settings)- which can result in dopamine-triggers reduction. 

  - Delete social media apps and use browser versions (more friction and extra work = less mindless tapping).  

Last but not least try -"The Scrolling Chair" Trick or Address the root cause 

  - Pick one spot (e.g., a specific chair) where you allow yourself doomscrolling. Everywhere else? The phone stays in another room.  

When stressed, your brain defaults to familiar distractions. So Physically interrupt the cycle when you feel you scrolling too much. Such as   

  - Splash cold water on your face.  

  - Stand up and stretch

  - Hum a silly song out loud.  

  This resets your nervous system—and interrupts the trance of doomscrolling (proven study in Behavioral Brain Research, 2018.)

But do you know what’s The Real Fix? It is Self-Compassion.

Your goal shouldn’t be perfection— but rather the tiny progress of catching yourself faster each time. Even reducing doomscrolling from 2 hours to 30 minutes is a big win. 

So try these hacks out and let us know in the comments whether you found it beneficial!