{"id":418380,"date":"2022-03-18T20:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-03-18T17:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/doomscrolling-can-harm-your-cognition-as-well-as-your-mood\/"},"modified":"2022-03-18T20:00:28","modified_gmt":"2022-03-18T17:00:28","slug":"doomscrolling-can-harm-your-cognition-as-well-as-your-mood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/doomscrolling-can-harm-your-cognition-as-well-as-your-mood\/","title":{"rendered":"#Doomscrolling can harm your cognition as well as your mood"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a27ec23858b2\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a27ec23858b2\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/doomscrolling-can-harm-your-cognition-as-well-as-your-mood\/#%E2%80%9CDoomscrolling_can_harm_your_cognition_as_well_as_your_mood%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Doomscrolling can harm your cognition as well as your mood&#8221;<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-2' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/doomscrolling-can-harm-your-cognition-as-well-as-your-mood\/#Reset_your_brain\" >Reset your brain<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CDoomscrolling_can_harm_your_cognition_as_well_as_your_mood%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Doomscrolling can harm your cognition as well as your mood&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n                            Many people have experienced chronic stress <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-chronic-stress-changes-the-brain-and-what-you-can-do-to-reverse-the-damage-133194\">since the pandemic lockdowns<\/a>. Added to this are the climate crisis, the increasing cost of living and most recently threats to European and global security due to the conflict in Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>To some, it may seem that there is never any good <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> anymore. This is of course not true, but when we\u2019re doomscrolling \u2013 spending an excessive amount of screen time devoted to reading negative news \u2013 we can become locked into thinking it is.<\/p>\n<p>Doomscrolling can promote feelings of anxiety and depression. For example, consider how sad and exhausted you may feel when watching a drama with tragic events and sad music in the background. In contrast, if you watch a funny film or romantic comedy with lively music, you may feel upbeat and energized. This is due to two psychological phenomena: \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC3253810\/\">mood induction<\/a>\u201d (an intervention that can change our mood) and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-do-children-learn-empathy-56623\">empathy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Serotonin is an important brain chemical for regulating mood, and it can drop when we are chronically stressed or saddened by bad news for extended periods of time. Studies show that it is even possible to <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/assets.researchsquare.com\/files\/nprot-2336\/v1\/5c547d54-6dfc-4552-a6fa-f29ee83f5914.pdf?c=1631825036\">exacerbate the effects of reducing serotonin<\/a> in healthy people through mood induction by playing sad music. Pharmacological treatments which increase serotonin are used to treat depression and anxiety.<\/p>\n<p>Empathy is a good trait which helps us live successfully with others and promotes a flourishing society. However, excessive empathy, when viewing tragic world events on the news, may lead to ruminating on negative thoughts, which have an impact on our mental health and wellbeing. Constantly thinking negative thoughts can lead to depression or anxiety.<\/p>\n<p>Such conditions can over time have a huge effect on our minds, leading to actual cognitive impairments such as reduced attention or problems with memory and reasoning. After all, if negative information hijacks our attention and memory, it will drain cognitive power that could be used for other things. And when we are constantly soaking up negative news and recording negative memories, we feel even more down \u2013 creating a vicious cycle.<\/p>\n<p>The longer we are stuck with a low mood, the harder it becomes for us <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/iq-tests-cant-measure-it-but-cognitive-flexibility-is-key-to-learning-and-creativity-163284\">to think flexibly<\/a>, easily switching between different perspectives. This is how we can become \u201cstuck\u201d with a thought such as \u201cthis is never going to end\u201d or \u201cthere is no good news\u201d \u2013 leading to intense feelings of powerlessness and helplessness.<\/p>\n<p>You don\u2019t have to be clinically depressed to develop problems with attention, though. We know that attention is critical for cognition and mental health and that <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/mitpress.mit.edu\/books\/distracted-mind\">can affect it<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>For example, one study examined the effects of receiving real-time instant messages on their mobile phones while studying for a test. The group who were interrupted by messages took significantly <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0360131509002656?via%3Dihub\">longer to complete the test<\/a> and experienced increased levels of stress compared to the group who were able to study without distraction. We know that problems of severe distraction are seen in <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.biologicalpsychiatryjournal.com\/article\/S0006-3223(20)31381-0\/fulltext\">attention deficit hyperactivity disorder<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So it isn\u2019t just the negative content we are consuming that can harm our attention, the very technology we are using to access it is also a problem. And this may ultimately affect our performance at work, school or even in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> settings.<\/p>\n<p>Problems with attention can itself make us more anxious \u2013 creating another feedback loop. Over-focusing our attention on threatening things, such as obsessively checking the latest tragic news, can in fact be detrimental to wellbeing. In severe cases it may lead to repetitive checking behavior, seen in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). And we know that children with OCD and perfectionism <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/34224907\/\">have increased levels of anxiety<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Reset_your_brain\"><\/span>Reset your brain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>So what can we do about it? It is important to avoid obsessive doomscrolling but instead show resilience and gain mastery over the situation. To do that, you need to have some positive moments of respite. So try to schedule something you enjoy and which relaxes and de-stresses you daily, such as reading a good book, watching a fun film, visiting friends and family or <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41398-021-01459-8\">mindfulness training<\/a>. Exercise or learning something new, such as a different language or a musical instrument, can also be good \u2013 boosting both mood as well as cognition.<\/p>\n<p>Another way to take control of the situation is by taking action, perhaps joining or supporting a charity that is involved in helping civilians in Ukraine. When you perform an act of kindness, it <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/six-ways-to-reboot-your-brain-after-a-hard-year-of-covid-19-according-to-science-151332\">activates the reward system<\/a> in the brain \u2013 and gives you some power over the situation.<\/p>\n<p>If you continue to be disturbed by doomscrolling, you may wish to contact a clinical psychologist who can help you reduce this activity and its effects, through the use of cognitive behavioral therapy. Interestingly, one study showed it is possible to improve your mood through <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/psychological-medicine\/article\/abs\/pilot-study-of-positive-mood-induction-in-euthymic-bipolar-subjects-compared-with-healthy-controls\/B6FB50A7E02BC88D6509A240D9AAEC21\">cognitive mood induction<\/a> \u2013 rewarding people for their performance on a cognitive test.<\/p>\n<p>In a modern globalized world with many forms of technology and constant bombardment of information and streams of stimulation \u2013 some good and some bad \u2013 it is important to identify your goals. But it is equally important to develop a strategy for achieving them and for avoiding distraction. So the bottom line is to try to stay positive and resilient \u2013 for your sake and others.<\/p>\n<p>After all, what use are we in helping to solve difficult global challenges, such as conflict and climate change, if we\u2019re so depressed and cognitively depleted that we can\u2019t think of the best actions to take?<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/178923\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/178923\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><br \/>\n<em>This article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/barbara-jacquelyn-sahakian-947460\">Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian<\/a>, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-cambridge-1283\">University of Cambridge<\/a>; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/christelle-langley-948259\">Christelle Langley<\/a>, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cognitive Neuro<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-cambridge-1283\">University of Cambridge<\/a>; <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/chun-shen-1326808\">Chun Shen<\/a>, Postdoctoral research fellow, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/fudan-university-2820\">Fudan University<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/jianfeng-feng-1184671\">Jianfeng Feng<\/a>, Professor of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/fudan-university-2820\">Fudan University<\/a>, is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/ukraine-doomscrolling-can-harm-your-cognition-as-well-as-your-mood-heres-what-to-do-about-it-178923\">original article<\/a>.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/doomscrolling-isnt-just-bad-for-your-mood-it-can-harm-your-cognition-too-heres-how-to-rein-it-in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Doomscrolling can harm your cognition as well as your mood&#8221; Many people have experienced chronic stress since the pandemic lockdowns. Added to this are the climate crisis, the increasing cost of living and most recently threats to European and global security due to the conflict in Ukraine. To some, it may seem that there is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":418381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2022\/03\/Doomscrolling-hed.jpg&signature=b4e42ff67e334cd4225b82dce2e2d9c7","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-418380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=418380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/418380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/418381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=418380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=418380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=418380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}