TRENDING SCIENCE: We’re doomscrolling again, and that’s a bad thing

The chronic levels of stress and anxiety began 2 years ago by seeing the tragedy and suffering of COVID-19 unfold on social media. The more we saw, the more we wanted.

Fast forward to today, with scenes of destruction in Ukraine. We’re back on our phones, tablets or laptops, compulsively scrolling through graphic images.

“Clearly there are some people who are already anxious, who will be significantly more anxious, as happened with Covid – we saw a big increase in some subtypes of anxiety in the clinic,” Paul Salkovskis, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Oxford, told ‘The Guardian’. “The question is, why for some people is it particularly severe? And why is it particularly persistent?”People can become locked into thinking all news is negative, leading to an exaggerated sense of danger and increased feelings of vulnerability. The crisis in Ukraine has become somewhat of a continuous cliffhanger. The underdog standing up to the bully. David versus Goliath.

“It would be great if you could just say, I don’t want to engage with this Ukraine situation, because it caused my anxiety to spike,” explained neuroscientist Dr Dean Burnett. “But because of the way the world works now, you’re cutting yourself off. It’s a lose-lose scenario.”

Our brains are hardwired to be on high alert. We search for potential threats whenever we feel unsafe or uncertain, seeking out information to regain control. Are we missing something that could be vital to our survival?

Manipulative algorithms and the addictive design of social media are also helping to nurture doomscrolling. David Nuñez, Director of Technology and Digital Strategy at the MIT Museum, bluntly explained on Twitter: “Social media algorithms emphasize negativity. Strong, negative emotions elicit more ‘engagement.’ The algorithms are ravenous for ‘engagement.’ You feed the algorithm with every click. The algorithms watch what you do. Repeat.”

In another tweet, he had an interesting take on what’s happening in Ukraine: “Since your brain thinks all those explosions are happening right inside your smartphone, doom-scrolling causes your body to produce stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Your brain is screaming ‘fight or flight’ over a bunch of pixels on your screen.”How do you disengage the brain? Track the time spent doomscrolling and sets limits for the information overload. No devices during meals or in the bedroom. Schedule something enjoyable every day. According to ‘The Conversation’, you can turn a negative into a positive “by taking action, perhaps joining or supporting a charity that is involved in helping civilians in Ukraine. When you perform an act of kindness, it activates the reward system in the brain – and gives you some power over the situation.”

The article added: “In a modern globalised world with many forms of technology and constant bombardment of information and streams of stimulation – some good and some bad – it is important to identify your goals. But it is equally important to develop a strategy for achieving them and for avoiding distraction. So the bottom line is to try to stay positive and resilient – for your sake and others.”