Waves of Covid contamination, climate crisis, rising cost of living and, recently, war in Ukraine… One might think that there is only bad news in our world. This is obviously not the case. Yet when we scroll through our social media and news apps, the good news seems almost non-existent. We then lock ourselves into the idea that everything is negative.
the doomscrolling means, in English, “to scroll one’s screen until the end of time”. This practice can foster feelings of anxiety and depression, it’s a kind of self-inflicted punishment – much like watching a romantic tragedy in the middle of a relationship breakup.
Constantly feeling negative thoughts “doomscrolling” can have a significant effect on our long-term morale. They can even lead to cognitive disorders such as reduced attention or problems with memory and reasoning. After all, while bad news disrupts our attention and memory, it also drains our cognitive abilities, which could be put to use for more positive things.
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And when we constantly absorb negative news and store negative memories, we feel even more depressed. A vicious circle will then form. The longer we are stuck in a low mood, the less comfortable it is for us to think flexibly, switching easily from one perspective to another. We then find ourselves stuck with this feeling that “all this will never end”.
A decisive role
You don’t have to be clinically depressed to develop attention problems and we know that technological tools can affect cognition and mental health. For example, a study analyzed the effects of receiving messages during a tabletop assignment. For people whose phone started to vibrate when they received a text message, the time to reconcentrate was significantly longer. This conclusion helped to ensure that bad news is not solely responsible for our loss of attention, but that technology also plays a determining role.
In an era where everything goes through the internet – and therefore our telephone – it seems impossible to let go of our old habits. However, if you are an anxious person, it would be better to control the doomscroll. Taking a step back with technology will allow you to end your days less stressed. And if you don’t want to give up, try planning positive times of respite, like watching the good news in the world.
www.slate.fr
