{"id":13,"date":"2026-07-26T01:47:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T01:47:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/?p=13"},"modified":"2026-07-26T01:47:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T01:47:23","slug":"why-is-doom-scrolling-so-appealing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/2026\/07\/26\/why-is-doom-scrolling-so-appealing\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Is Doom Scrolling So Appealing?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Kevin Mitchell, PhD, MSW, RSW<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ve probably experienced it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You pick up your phone to check one notification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Twenty minutes later you\u2019re still scrolling through bad news, political arguments, disasters, or social media debates \u2014 even though none of it is making you feel better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If doom scrolling often leaves us more anxious, exhausted, or discouraged, why is it so difficult to stop?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The answer has less to do with a lack of self-control than many people realize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Brain Wants Certainty<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

We are naturally drawn to information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When something feels uncertain, whether it\u2019s a global crisis, your health, your relationships, or your future, your brain begins searching for answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That instinct is adaptive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Staying informed has obvious advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The problem begins when gathering information quietly shifts into searching for certainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of helping us understand the world, scrolling becomes an attempt to eliminate the discomfort of not knowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ironically, it usually has the opposite effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Trap of \u201cJust One More Post\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every new article or video carries the promise that it might finally explain everything<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe this one will make sense of the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe this one will make you feel prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe this one will help you stop worrying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the time, it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, each new piece of information creates new questions, new uncertainties, and new reasons to keep scrolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without realizing it, you\u2019ve entered a loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doom Scrolling Is About Emotion, Not Information<\/strong>
<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

People sometimes assume they\u2019re scrolling because they want to keep up with the latest news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In therapy, a different question can be more useful:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What feeling am I trying not to have right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes doom scrolling helps us avoid:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • loneliness<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • boredom<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • uncertainty<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • sadness<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • fear<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • difficult conversations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • our own thoughts<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    The phone becomes less about curiosity and more about distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not because we\u2019re weak, but because uncomfortable emotions are difficult to sit with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Why It Feels So Hard to Stop<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The difficulty isn\u2019t simply the phone itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s that stopping means returning to whatever was there before you picked it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The uncertainty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The unfinished work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The difficult emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If scrolling has become your way of managing those experiences, putting the phone down can briefly make them feel even stronger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That doesn\u2019t mean you\u2019ve made the wrong choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It often means you\u2019ve interrupted a habit that has been helping you avoid discomfort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Building a Different Relationship With Uncertainty<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Breaking the cycle isn\u2019t about never reading the news again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    It\u2019s about noticing when information stops serving understanding and starts serving reassurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Instead of asking:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cHow can I stop feeling anxious?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    it can be more helpful to ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \u201cCan I make room for this uncertainty without immediately trying to eliminate it?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    That small shift creates space for choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    You may still decide to read the article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But you\u2019re no longer being pulled automatically into another hour of scrolling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Therapy Can Help Break the Cycl<\/strong>e<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Some habits survive because they solve an immediate problem, even if they create a larger one over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Doom scrolling provides temporary relief from uncertainty while quietly reinforcing the belief that uncertainty is something that cannot be tolerated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Therapy helps develop a different capacity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Not the ability to control every thought or emotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    But the ability to stay present with uncertainty without automatically escaping into another distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Over time, that flexibility makes it easier to put the phone down: not because you\u2019ve forced yourself to, but because you no longer need<\/em> it in the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    If anxiety, overthinking, compulsive habits, or constant worry are making it difficult to stay present in your daily life, therapy can help. I provide online therapy for adults and teens across Ontario and Manitoba using evidence-informed approaches that help people build greater emotional flexibility and develop healthier ways of responding to life\u2019s uncertainties.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Why is doom scrolling so hard to stop? Learn how uncertainty, anxiety, and emotional habits keep you scrolling\u2014and how therapy can help break the cycle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[7,4,10,11,3,6],"class_list":["post-13","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-anxiety","tag-behaviour-change","tag-doom-scrolling","tag-emotional-avoidance","tag-psychological-flexibility","tag-uncertainty"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13\/revisions\/14"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmitchelltherapy.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}