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News AvoidanceWhat's doomscrolling, and what does it do to you?
The scroll starts with one headline and ends an hour later, and you feel worse without knowing much more. The word's paper trail, who does it most, and the size of every effect the studies found.
Sep 27, 2026 ยท 4 min read
Kira Shishkin
Summary: Doomscrolling is spending far too long scrolling through bad news online, well past the point where it helps you. Studies link it to lower mood within minutes, higher anxiety and depression scores, and worse sleep, with small to moderate effects. Nearly all of that evidence comes from one-time surveys, which can't show cause.
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What the research can't say yet
Only the 2021 experiments earn a causal verb, and only for a few minutes of mood. The method for stopping is its own post.
Tonight something bad will have happened somewhere, and the phone will be within reach. The research above says a few minutes of it already costs some mood, and the hour before bed is where the sleep numbers come from. None of it is large, and all of it is nightly.
informed.now is one text every weekday morning, written to be read in minutes, and it has a last line. Nothing scrolls after it.
Quick answers
What's doomscrolling?
Spending far too long scrolling through bad news online, well past the point where it helps you
How fast does doomscrolling affect your mood?
Within minutes
In two 2021 experiments, 2 to 4 minutes of bad news lowered positive mood right away
Does doomscrolling cause anxiety?
Studies link the two, but most are one-time surveys that can't show cause
The link is small to moderate, about 9% to 14% of the variation in anxiety scores
How do I stop doomscrolling?
Set your stopping point while you're still calm
Our four-step method walks through it
Have questions about informed.now? Get answers.
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