A recent study found doom-scrolling, or compulsively seeking negative news, which became prevalent during the pandemic, is more than a passing trend.

The study, published in the Technology, Mind and Behaviour journal, developed a way to measure doom-scrolling to gain insight into this behaviour.

The measure had good accuracy in revealing that a doom-scroller isn’t just someone wanting to stay informed but rather a person with a compulsion for negative information.

Study researcher Benjamin K Johnson says the bad news cycle is difficult to resist during a crisis.

“It’s this obsession with trying to make sense of a crisis or of our crisis. It’s the combination of living through a crisis and having a smartphone with a new feed that never ends. It just keeps going. So, we keep scrolling,” said Johnson.

The term, which emerged in early 2020 to describe a digital media practice, grew during the pandemic and social distancing.

The study found that doom-scrolling is unusually addictive and is more prevalent with neuroticism and, to a lesser extent, conscientiousness and introversion. Surprisingly, men and young people were the most likely to engage in this behaviour.

News organisations should take note of doom-scrolling behaviour and balance good and bad news sharing on social media, explains Johnson.

“People do recognise their behaviour; that maybe they are consuming too much negative news, and then put in measures to opt-out of that. They become self-aware that ‘this is making me feel bad’ and work to form new media habits.”

Adolescent psychologist Angela Karanja says that while doom-scrolling is a relatively new word, it’s biological.

“The practice itself is very human and a biological process because the human brain prefers to focus more on the negative to protect us from harm. The reason being, if we can spot and avoid danger, we are more likely to survive.”

Unsurprisingly, those with anxiety are more likely to present with this behaviour.

“A person in a state of fear and angst will gravitate to …situations and people who provide more of that.

“Secondly, anxious people tend to want to have things in control and find answers in advance to everything. This leads to repeatedly searching those keywords and scrolling.”

Unfortunately, what they find frightens them more and makes them feel worse, explains Karanja.

“Ironically, the power and control they seek end up dropping them in the ditch of depression because of doom-scrolling.”

To change this behaviour, people should recognise the problem, practice self-care, share the issue with a support person and monitor online and social media use, warns Karanja.

“Limit how long you go online, including social media, because algorithms send you similar stories to what you’ve read, and this keeps you trapped in the negative loop.