Why do I doomscroll?

If you keep scrolling long after you've stopped enjoying it, it isn't a personal failing. Your feed is designed to work that way. Here's what's actually going on — and how to work around it.

Why do I keep scrolling even when I'm bored?

Infinite feeds never present a natural "end", so your brain never gets the signal that the activity is finished. Every swipe is a tiny gamble: sometimes it's boring, sometimes it's fascinating. That unpredictable reward is the same mechanism that keeps people at slot machines, and it keeps your thumb moving long after interest has faded.

Why does bad news pull me in so strongly?

Our brains evolved to watch for threats, so alarming headlines register louder and longer than calm ones. Doomscrolling is your threat-detection system doing its job — in an environment where there is always another alarming story waiting.

Am I doomscrolling because I'm anxious, or anxious because I doomscroll?

Usually both, in a loop. Anxiety makes you reach for the phone, and the feed gives the anxiety more to feed on. The way out isn't willpower — it's changing what the loop serves up. More on this in our guide to doomscrolling and anxiety.

So how do I stop?

You don't need to quit scrolling. The habit — thumb up, one thing after another — is easy to keep if you point it at something that doesn't drain you. That's the idea behind Ancient Scroll: an endless feed of history stories, so the "one more" feeling works for you instead of against you. For a fuller plan, see how to stop doomscrolling.