Doomscrolling is bad for our brains, say the experts! This term started to be part of our vocabulary around 2020 (COVID time). This situation came with a new habit: the fast scrolling of content on our phones, but not any content. These term refers mostly to negative news spread by users on the web or social media.
The best-selling author and neuroscientist TJ Power explained in Men’s Health that this habit is reprogramming us and taking us to brain rot. His message was more practical than a lecture. He talks about why this cycle gets us trapped, what it does to our brains, and how to stop it with steps that he says helped him get out of being overexposed to social media. He says it’s not just about will and strength but also about chemistry and routine acting together.
Power starts with dopamine, the “happy hormone,” which is one of the neurotransmitters of motivation and rewarding. Before, people used to get fewer dopamine shots a day linked to satisfied necessities or concrete achievements. But doomscrolling breaks the barriers of dopamine limits by drowning the system; instead of a few doses, a user can get hundreds. The results come to a range of pleasure that is more and more reduced and a cycle of digital addiction. It’s something like scroll more and enjoy less, but the brain keeps following and looking for the “next microstimulus.”
Why doomscrolling hook us
When the feed delivers short but constant rewards, our brains learn to anticipate the next dopamine hit. Power warns us that the brain rot “isn’t just a meme. It’s real, and it’s shrinking your brain.” With all the studies backing up these investigations, the pattern points to the fact that scrolling without thinking on social media for 2 or more hours a day not only is taking your time away but shapes your preferences, leaning the mind to impulsive novelty and pushing it away from deep and calm.
Change the system and change the response!
Power’s point of view comes from a kind and practical way. If it’s learned, then you can undo it by learning other small movements guiding that chemistry somewhere else.
Signals and structure: detecting the fall to reverse the trend
How can you notice the effects? The neuroscientist talks about 3 zones: “responsible for memory, emotional regulation, and decision making.” If they become blurry, life gets noisier. You might have trouble keeping track, or react harshly to trivial things, or maybe hesitate when faced with very easy decisions.
There are signs you can see before the habit gets stronger. Things like “being unable to sit without external stimulation, eat without watching something, or walk without headphones.” These are useful indicators that you can notice without any sophisticated test.
And from there the strategy is simple. Powers proposes 3 steps that go further than just holding it up.
- Take back control over your phone: avoid looking at it as soon as you wake up. This will create a real control sensation, and mark a calmer tone for the rest of the day.
- Look for dopamine in the real world: go out more, do activities that you like, even doing chores at home counts. They’re still rewards, but more stable and sustainable.
- Put strong limits: draw a firm line to social media so the cycle doesn’t continue without an end point.
Daily habits that work
Power himself follows the plan, he admits he was affected by social media addiction, and now he limits the use of it to 10-minute windows—10:00, 15:00, and 20:00—at specific times. He also uses the Roots App, which makes him make a conscientious effort to overcome the blockage.
Doomscrolling sounds innocent at first, but do you know how much time are you spending scrolling on your phone?