Mayo Clinic psychologist Craig N Sawchuk unpacks doomscrolling and the attention trap
Doomscrolling is often framed as a modern habit problem, but clinical research increasingly suggests it is driven by the brain’s attention, reward and emotional regulation systems
07 July, 2026
TT
16
We live in a digitally connected world, where technology has become the infrastructure of work, family, and social life. This connectivity often creates a psychological challenge: doomscrolling, the compulsive consumption of news and content on social media, despite knowing it damages your mood, sleep, and relationships.
Doomscrolling is often framed as a modern habit problem, but clinical research increasingly suggests it is driven by the brain’s attention, reward and emotional regulation systems. The concern is not simply how much time people spend online, but the compulsion to continue consuming negative or emotionally charged content even when it begins to affect mood, sleep and daily functioning.
The scale of the problem is becoming clearer. An August 2024 study of 800 university students published in Computers in Human Behavior Reports found that doomscrolling triggers elevated levels of existential anxiety, a pervasive sense of dread when confronting life’s limitations. Earlier research published in Applied Research in Quality of Life (April 2023) analysed three separate studies involving approximately 1,257 adults and found doomscrolling is directly linked to worse mental wellbeing.
A 2025 longitudinal study published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases, which followed 301 adolescents over two months, found a significant relationship between social media addiction and doomscrolling. The researchers concluded that higher levels of social media addiction increased the risk of doomscrolling over time, underscoring the importance of promoting healthier digital habits to help prevent the behaviour.
In fast-connected societies such as the UAE, where work, news and social platforms blend into continuous digital engagement, the question is no longer whether people are online, but how that connectivity is shaping attention, mood and recovery time.
Here, Craig N Sawchuk, PhD, a psychologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, explains what separates healthy social media use from harmful patterns, why the brain is naturally drawn to negative content, and what practical steps can help people regain control without disconnecting from the digital world entirely.
Doomscrolling has become a widely used term, but from a clinical psychology perspective, what actually distinguishes normal social media use from behavior that starts becoming harmful to mental health?
The key difference is not just the amount of time spent online, but whether it interferes with responsibilities, relationships, and overall well-being. Harmful use begins when people cannot easily disengage from spending time online, neglect work or home responsibilities, or withdraw from family and friends. It is also important to monitor mood changes: if social media consistently increases anger, anxiety, sadness, pessimism, or irritability with use, it may be negatively affecting mental health. Healthy use of social media is associated with being able to step away, shift attention elsewhere, and maintain balance in daily life.
Why are people so psychologically drawn to negative headlines, crisis-driven news, and endless social media feeds, even when they know it is affecting their mood or productivity?
The brain is naturally hardwired for threat and novelty, making humans automatically attentive to dangerous or unusual information. This is an adaptive function of our brain that has helped with our survival over time.
People also have a strong drive to “need to know” about current events and a natural human curiosity that keeps people checking for updates. Because news is now constantly accessible through portable devices, people are exposed to nonstop “breaking news,” which can reinforce the impulse to know. Doomscrolling engages reinforcement centers of our brain, which can reinforce repeated engagement with social media, even when it is not helpful for our health.
In fast-paced markets like the UAE, where many residents are highly connected through work, news, and social platforms, are there unique lifestyle factors making people more vulnerable to doomscrolling?
One of the biggest factors is the portability of technology, such as phones and tablets, and a constant electronic connection with us. People often multitask across phones, tablets, and computers throughout the day, then continue using devices at home, when out socially, and late into the evening. This continuous electronic connection can disrupt sleep and other healthy habits, as well as create a more sedentary lifestyle. The Covid-19 pandemic accelerated this pattern by increasing digital communication, and people connected digitally to manage the isolation of social distancing.
What are some of the early warning signs that someone’s scrolling habits are beginning to impact their anxiety levels, sleep quality, relationships, or overall mental wellbeing?
There are several warning signs that can turn into bigger problems. One common sign is ‘time blindness,’ where people intend to check their phones briefly but lose track of time and spend hours online without realising it. Other signs include forgetting responsibilities, worsening mood, and sleep disruption. “Sleep procrastination” is when people delay their sleep schedule to spend time online late at night, which delays bedtime and can lead to fatigue the next day. Over time, accumulated fatigue can create a negative cycle that affects focus, efficiency, work, and other responsibilities.
Self-monitoring can be a very helpful tool to recognise when excessive device use is starting to cause problems. I encourage people to have time-point check-ins when they use their devices to pay attention to their mood and notice any changes in stress, anger, anxiety, or irritability. For example, assess your mood just before you start using your device and keep re-checking on your mood every 10-15 minutes. If your mood is declining, it would be good to distance yourself from the device and choose another activity. Increasing a person’s awareness around time and mood association with their device use can be helpful. Friends or partners can also notice and comment on excessive device use before an individual fully recognises the problem.
For people who rely on their phones for work and communication and can’t simply ‘switch off’, what practical, realistic steps can they take to build healthier digital habits without disconnecting completely?
Since digital technology is often essential for work and communication, the goal is to reduce its excessive use and practice healthy habits. I recommend identifying what technology is truly necessary for work and setting firmer boundaries outside work hours.
Some ideas that may work include removing work email from phones during vacation time, creating device-free periods, and keeping phones or tablets out of the bedroom at night. I encourage trying to run “experiments,” such as testing short periods away from devices and evaluating what actually happens, rather than assuming negative effects. These experiments help people gradually build healthier habits and reduce anxiety around online disconnection.
Read: Staying calm in uncertain times: Here’s what UAE mental health professionals advise
