Doomscrolling and Compulsive Consumption of Bad News: Psychological Mechanisms, Effects on Mental Health, and Coping Strategies

Introduction: From Seeking Information to Compulsive Reading of Threats

Searching for news helps reduce uncertainty and guide decisions, but it can turn into “doomscrolling”—defined as the persistent and compulsive consumption of negative content despite the distress it causes (Güme, 2024). This behavior combines repeated exposure, attention that is difficult to interrupt, and the expectation of finding relevant information. Its rise is linked to health crises, earthquakes, wars, and changes in digital platforms (Akat & Hamarta, 2025). Recent evidence links doomscrolling to anxiety, stress, depression, and reduced well-being, although most studies are correlational (Sharpe et al., 2026). Understanding the phenomenon requires distinguishing between adaptive information monitoring and a consumption pattern that keeps the threat psychologically present.

Why We Keep Reading Bad News: Negativity Bias, Uncertainty, and Existential Anxiety

Negativity bias and the perception of an increasingly threatening world

Negative news receives attention because it describes harm, conflict, and threats that may affect individual or collective security. Negativity bias leads people to prioritize adverse events over positive content, while the media logic of “if it bleeds, it sells” amplifies their presence in news feeds (Shabahang et al., 2024). Repeated exposure can make social problems seem more frequent or inevitable—a prediction consistent with cultivation theory. In a three-wave panel study conducted in Sweden, a preference for general news was associated with higher anxiety about climate change, while a preference for alternative media was linked to higher anxiety about violent crime; the associations mirrored the dominant type of negativity in each ecosystem (Andersen et al., 2024). Therefore, consumption does not merely reflect an objective supply of threats: it also selects content consistent with prior beliefs.

The cross-cultural study conducted with college students in Iran and the United States linked doomscrolling to higher levels of existential anxiety in both samples (Shabahang et al., 2024). The association between doomscrolling and misanthropy appeared only in the Iranian sample, which limits any cultural generalizations. These results are consistent with the hypothesis of media-induced trauma and with the theory of fragmented assumptions, but they do not prove that reading negative news in and of itself produces a pessimistic view of humanity. Anxiety may precede the search, intensify it, and also be amplified by it.

Uncertainty intolerance as a driver of repetitive information-seeking

Intolerance of uncertainty turns information into a strategy for subjective control. During a crisis, checking for new updates may seem like a reasonable way to anticipate risks; when no update eliminates the doubt, the search is repeated. A review of 17 studies identifies intolerance of uncertainty, rumination, and emotional exhaustion as recurring explanations for doomscrolling (Sharpe et al., 2026). In a survey of adults aged 18 to 55, intolerance of uncertainty was directly associated with doomscrolling and lower mental well-being, and doomscrolling mediated part of that relationship (Kaya & Griffiths, 2024).

The information provides brief relief, but each news item can introduce new threats, contradictions, or questions. The resulting cycle does not require an intention to self-harm or a stable preference for sad content. It can begin with cautious monitoring and continue through anxious searching, especially when platforms deliver updates without a natural stopping point (C, 2026). The available literature describes this pattern as a maladaptive coping strategy that temporarily reduces stress and then increases it (Sharpe et al., 2026).

From Emotional Regulation to the Compulsive Cycle of Consumption and Distress

The cycle can be represented as a sequence of perceived threat, seeking, partial relief, renewed exposure, and distress. Algorithmic feedback and infinite scrolling reduce the pauses that would allow for a reassessment of the behavior (Sharpe et al., 2026). Qualitative accounts show that those who engage in doomscrolling describe anxiety, helplessness, apathy, and anger, although their coping strategies vary: limiting news intake, engaging in group discussions, or shifting their attention to everyday activities (Kazun & Malygina, 2024). This variability prevents us from treating all intense reading as a uniform behavior.

Compulsion arises when the search ceases to serve a specific decision and instead becomes a means of regulating emotional states without resolving them. This distinction leads to the following problem: when does information cease to enhance responsiveness and begin to undermine well-being?

When Staying Informed Is Harmful: Doomscrolling, Social Media Addiction, and Deterioration of Well-Being

Anxiety, stress, and psychological distress associated with problematic news consumption

The association between problematic news consumption and distress has been observed in studies with different populations and measures. A longitudinal replication of the problematic news consumption construct confirmed that the profile with the highest level of problematic behavior exhibited greater mental distress in both the cross-sectional analysis and the autoregressive model, although it did not show greater physical distress in the latter (McLaughlin et al., 2024). The proportion of participants in that profile was lower than in the initial study, suggesting sensitivity to the sample and the classification used. The scoping review finds consistent associations with anxiety, depression, stress, and lower resilience, but notes that cross-sectional designs and self-reports predominate (Sharpe et al., 2026).

Data from Egyptian adults show a positive correlation between doomscrolling and anxiety, along with negative associations between resilience, doomscrolling, and anxiety (El-Sayed & Alzaharni, 2025). The structural model estimated a direct effect of doomscrolling on anxiety and an indirect effect via lower resilience, but the descriptive correlational design does not establish a causal direction. In interviews, participants also described physical consequences and used clinical terminology to describe their distress (Kazun & Malygina, 2024). These narratives complement the scales because they show how the behavior is experienced, although they do not allow for the estimation of prevalence.

The mediating role of doomscrolling between problematic use, addiction, and distress

Doomscrolling is situated between problematic social media use and various indicators of distress in mediation models. Among 460 college students, problematic social media use was associated with psychological stress, and doomscrolling mediated that relationship (Canoğulları, 2025). Among 398 adolescents, doomscrolling and psychological adjustment serially mediated the relationship between problematic social media use and psychological distress (Kaya, 2025). This convergence suggests a plausible mechanism: a digital connection that is difficult to regulate facilitates negative exposure, which is accompanied by poorer adjustment and increased anxiety, depression, or stress.

The temporal direction is less clear. In a two-wave study of 301 Turkish adolescents, social media addiction at the first measurement predicted doomscrolling two months later, whereas initial doomscrolling did not predict subsequent addiction (Akat & Hamarta, 2025). This finding contradicts an interpretation in which all negative content consumption leads to addiction and identifies prior addiction as the more consistent risk factor. Information overload, social overload, communication overload, and system overload are also associated with burnout and social media addiction in the corresponding meta-analysis (Tyrväinen et al., 2025). Thus, negative content constitutes part of a system of impaired self-regulation, not an isolated explanation.

Broader Consequences: Pessimism About Human Nature, Political Hostility, and Conspiracy Theories

Persistent exposure can extend its effects from emotional state to social and political beliefs. In Iran, but not in the United States, doomscrolling was associated with misanthropy, while both samples showed increased existential anxiety (Shabahang et al., 2024). In two surveys, problematic news consumption was linked to greater political hostility, and dispositional mindfulness was indirectly associated with lower hostility through reduced problematic consumption (McLaughlin, Gotlieb, & Mills, 2024). The relationship was more pronounced among individuals with an approach orientation toward conflict, suggesting that prior dispositions shape the response to the media environment.

The link to conspiracy theories is more complex. Conspiracy beliefs predicted negative feelings, the search for and sharing of information consumed during doomscrolling, but only sharing subsequently predicted conspiracy beliefs (Kaye & Johnson, 2024). Trust in video-based social networks was associated with greater dissemination and greater adherence to conspiracy theories, although prior political support was the strongest predictor of these beliefs (Kaye & Johnson, 2024). Doomscrolling, therefore, can intensify confirmation and dissemination loops without, on its own, explaining radicalization.

Who Is Most Vulnerable: Adolescents, Generation Z, and Exposure to Collective Crises

Adolescents and Young People Facing Problematic Social Media Use

Adolescence is characterized by high connectivity, dependence on social media for daily interaction, and a self-regulation capacity that is still developing. Among adolescents aged 12 to 19, social media addiction predicted doomscrolling two months later, but the inverse relationship did not reach statistical significance (Akat & Hamarta, 2025). In another adolescent sample, problematic use was associated with distress through doomscrolling and psychological adjustment (Kaya, 2025). These results support interventions focused on digital habits and emotional regulation, without treating age as a sufficient explanation.

Studies on Generation Z replicate the association between doomscrolling and mental health problems, but their college-student samples and cross-sectional designs limit the scope of inference. A study of 250 students aged 18 to 25 found a moderate positive relationship between doomscrolling and mental health problems (Bajwa & Mohsin, 2026). The evidence points to statistical vulnerability, not a fixed generational trait.

Fear of earthquakes, pandemics, and wars: doomscrolling in contexts of real threat

Real-world crises alter the informational value of the news. Following the Kahramanmaraş earthquake, a longitudinal study of Turkish students found that fear of earthquakes was associated with intolerance of uncertainty through pathways involving doomscrolling and anxiety (Özmen, 2025). Another structural study confirmed the mediating roles of intolerance of uncertainty and doomscrolling between fear of earthquakes and psychological distress (Kaya et al., 2025). This convergence does not imply that checking alerts is pathological: the problem arises when repeated updates maintain arousal without improving preparedness.

Psychological Resilience and Adjustment as Protective Factors

Psychological resilience is associated with less doomscrolling and lower anxiety, and it moderates the relationship between the two in Egyptian adults (El-Sayed & Alzaharni, 2025). Psychological adjustment is also part of the chain linking problematic use and distress in adolescents (Kaya, 2025). These factors may reduce reactivity, but the evidence does not yet allow us to conclude that an intervention would increase them in a lasting way or that this would reduce doomscrolling.

The news environment that perpetuates the cycle: information overload, algorithms, and the prevalence of negativity

The “if it bleeds, it sells” logic and the normalization of negative news

The prevalence of negative news does not depend solely on individual preferences. Media coverage prioritizes corruption, fraud, violence, terrorism, and war—content consistent with the negativity bias (Shabahang et al., 2024). A comparative analysis of Swedish media showed that negativity varies depending on the type of media and the topic covered (Andersen et al., 2024). The audience, for its part, seeks information that confirms prior beliefs, so that selection and supply reinforce each other.

Information overload, mobile attention, and the reinforcement of endless scrolling

Information overload is intertwined with social, communicative, and platform-functional overload. The meta-analysis of social media links these dimensions to burnout and addiction, although it does not specifically study each instance of doomscrolling (Tyrväinen et al., 2025). The review on doomscrolling identifies infinite scrolling and algorithmic push notifications as maintenance mechanisms (Sharpe et al., 2026). Mobile devices add continuous availability, but the cited evidence does not allow for a precise separation of the device’s effect from that of the content or the habit.

News, Social Media, Brands, and Trust: Different Forms of Negative Exposure

The phenomenon also occurs outside the realm of political news. The doomscrolling propensity scale applied to negative brand news organizes the trend around perceived threats to survival and fear of death (Mandliya et al., 2024). On social media, trust in video and text platforms is linked to negative reactions, as well as the search for and sharing of news consumed compulsively (Kaye & Johnson, 2024). These findings expand the concept but also highlight the need to distinguish between journalistic news, user-generated content, and commercial communication.

Critical Synthesis: What the Studies Actually Show and Where Discrepancies Persist

Convergences among correlational, longitudinal, and mediation studies

The evidence converges on three associations: doomscrolling is associated with greater distress, intolerance of uncertainty promotes its occurrence, and addiction or problematic social media use increases the risk. Mediation models replicate pathways between digital use, doomscrolling, and distress (Canoğulları, 2025; Kaya, 2025). Longitudinal studies add that prior addiction predicts doomscrolling (Akat & Hamarta, 2025) and that psychological distress persists in profiles of problematic use (McLaughlin et al., 2024). Protective factors associated with resilience and mindfulness emerge across different samples (El-Sayed & Alzaharni, 2025; McLaughlin, Gotlieb, & Mills, 2024).

Limitations to establishing causality: cross-sectional designs, self-reports, and emerging scales

The scoping review identifies conceptual inconsistency, self-report bias, and a scarcity of experimental studies (Sharpe et al., 2026). University, convenience, online, or snowball-recruited samples limit representativeness. Even longitudinal studies have only two waves or short intervals, so they do not fully resolve reciprocal causality (Akat & Hamarta, 2025; Özmen, 2025). Recent scales measure propensity, problematic use, or doomscrolling with non-equivalent content and thresholds (Mandliya et al., 2024; McLaughlin et al., 2024).

Between Adaptive Vigilance and Harmful Compulsion: The Debate Over When Staying Informed Ceases to Be Helpful

Staying informed during a threat can improve preparedness, but the reviewed studies do not offer a universal time limit. The proposal for mindful and harmonious consumption rejects a fixed duration for all individuals and recommends an active approach to negative news (Shabahang & Weber, 2025). The most defensible criterion combines function and consequence: seeking information helps when it leads to a specific decision; it is harmful when it continues without changing actions and increases distress. This distinction avoids pathologizing legitimate concern without normalizing compulsive exposure.

Research Gaps and Proposals for More Mindful Consumption of Bad News

Need for comparable definitions and longitudinal measures of doomscrolling

Research needs to distinguish between frequency, duration, content, motivation, and loss of control. It must also differentiate between news consumption, scrolling through social media, sharing, and confirmation-seeking. A review of 17 studies recommends validated instruments and longitudinal or experimental designs (Sharpe et al., 2026). Future studies should follow participants during crises and ordinary periods, incorporate behavioral records, and measure anxiety, well-being, sleep, and functioning separately.

Interventions That Have Not Yet Been Adequately Evaluated: Mindfulness, Mindful Consumption, and Resilience

Mindfulness, mindful media use, digital literacy, and building resilience are plausible approaches, but their evaluation remains limited. An experimental study on “gentle scrolling” produced only short-term affective benefits (Sharpe et al., 2026). Mindfulness was associated with lower hostility through reduced problematic use, although this evidence comes from surveys (McLaughlin, Gotlieb, & Mills, 2024). Trials are needed to compare flexible limits, deliberate breaks, diverse sources, and emotional regulation training, with sufficient follow-up to detect relapses and adverse effects.

Conclusion: Understanding the Cycle to Restore a Balanced Relationship with Information

Doomscrolling arises when a reasonable search for information turns into repetitive regulation of uncertainty. Media negativity, platform design, and psychological vulnerabilities all play a role, but no single factor alone explains the outcome. The evidence links this behavior to anxiety, stress, reduced well-being, and hostility, while longitudinal studies still offer only a partial picture of the causal direction. A balanced relationship with the news requires defining why one seeks it out, recognizing when the latest updates no longer influence decisions, and reclaiming pauses that allow for action. Research must determine which interventions reduce distress without limiting citizens’ access to necessary information.

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