DOOMSCROLLING is more than a habit of “too much swiping” — it is a compulsive pattern of seeking negative information that overrides the brain’s normal defenses and triggers anxiety, reward-pathway dysregulation and even PTSD-like responses, according to a UST neurologist.
First coined in 2018 and widely popularized during the Covid-19 pandemic, “doomscrolling” refers to repeatedly consuming distressing news despite being aware of its harmful effects.
Dr. Jojo Evangelista, neurologist and faculty member of the UST Faculty of Medicine and Surgery, said the behavior reflects a “maladaptive pattern of information seeking” that can lead to emotional, cognitive and neurological strain.
He defined doomscrolling as the “compulsive or habitual consumption [of] negative things either in the news or [in] social media,” adding that the behavior can evolve into a maladaptive pattern.
“When you say maladaptive, ibig sabihin despite knowing na pangit ‘yung effect niya sa’yo, na alam mo na ‘yung nababasa mo will have a negative impact sa’yo, ginagawa mo pa rin siya,” Evangelista told the Varsitarian.
He distinguished doomscrolling, which is passive, from “doomsurfing,” the deliberate search for more distressing information by clicking links or switching platforms. Both, he said, inflict the same neurological and emotional harm.
How the brain reacts to bad news
From a neurological standpoint, doomscrolling activates three major systems: the reward pathway, stress responses and attention networks.
Evangelista identified the ventral tegmental area, nucleus accumbens and prefrontal cortex as the key regions of the brain involved in the reward circuit. Typically associated with pleasure, these structures also respond to novel or high-arousal stimuli, including negative ones.
“If you find something pleasurable or if it gives you pleasure, if something sparks your interest, your reward pathway will be stimulated or activated,” he said.
Distressing news also triggers adrenaline and noradrenaline surges, hormones that, when chronically elevated, damages the nervous system. At the same time, the brain’s attention networks are drawn to potential threats as part of an evolutionary defense mechanism.
“We are neurologically wired or evolutionally wired to pay more attention to the negative things or potential threats or something that is new,” he said. “Parang gusto nating malaman itong mga bagay-bagay na something negative so that we could prepare, para at least alam natin if this would really happen, prepared tayo.”
Why young users are most at risk
Psychological factors, such as fear of missing out or “FOMO,” curiosity about trending topics and pre-existing anxiety or depression make individuals more prone to doomscrolling. Social-media algorithms further intensify the cycle by repeatedly pushing similar content to users who engage with it.
Younger users, particularly adolescents and people in their early twenties, are most at risk.
Evangelista explained that the brain continues developing until age 20, making teens more susceptible to forming harmful neural connections when repeatedly exposed to distressing content.
“[These] younger [individuals] would spend more time [on] social media compared with older adults,” he said. “Since they spend more time [on] social media, s’yempre mas exposed sila to the negative news.”
Prolonged doomscrolling, he warned, can also impair the hippocampus, the brain region responsible for memory. Evangelista said chronic stress-hormone activation weakens memory formation, reduces attention span and overloads working memory, especially when users jump rapidly between links without fully reading them.
These effects spill into academic life, with students sacrificing study time for late-night scrolling and suffering sleep disruption afterward.
“Kapag nakahiga ka na, matulog ka na. Huwag mo nang hawakan ‘yong cellphone mo,” he said, noting that nighttime scrolling can interfere with sleep hygiene.
Students with pre-existing mental-health conditions may also become more depressed or anxious when they relate personally to distressing stories online.
Evangelista cited a widely shared case involving content creator Emman Atienza, noting that another person with depression reportedly worsened after reading news about her.
Broader impacts on behavior and society
Beyond the individual level, doomscrolling affects social interaction. Users may withdraw from family or friends due to emotional fatigue, irritability or exhaustion.
At a societal scale, constant exposure to negative content can amplify pessimism, distort risk perception and contribute to public distrust. Evangelista said some studies suggest doomscrolling might even motivate activism by creating a heightened sense of urgency.
Older adults, he said, generally have more mature coping mechanisms and can better contextualize negative information. Still, those with pre-existing mental-health conditions remain vulnerable.
While internet culture often equates doomscrolling with “brain rotting,” Evangelista cautioned that the two are not the same. Doomscrolling, he explained, can impair attention and memory, and “that would lead to brain rotting…more of a cause and effect.”
Breaking the cycle
Evangelista advised users to set clear screen-time limits, mute or filter accounts that consistently post distressing content, and monitor their emotional state while browsing. Offline activities, exercise, mindfulness practices and periodic digital detoxes may also help.
For those overwhelmed by sustained exposure to negative content, temporary digital detoxes or account deactivations can help.
As a clinician, Evangelista said he screens patients for doomscrolling behaviors, especially those with anxiety or depression, and incorporates psychoeducation into management.
Part of psychoeducation, he said, is teaching individuals what doomscrolling is, how it affects memory, attention and relationships, and what strategies can counter its impact.
“Psychoeducation would be how to negate or how to counteract the negative side effects of this doomscrolling,” Evangelista said.
The Oxford English Dictionary listed “doomscrolling” among its 2020 Words of the Year, underscoring its rapid cultural rise and the growing recognition of its neurological and societal impacts. With reports from Justin Jacob S. Urag
