Prepare a 10-minute presentation to share your paper topic, research, and conclusions with the class. Should be between 4-6 slides and an overview of what you learned, similar to an abstract. Slides must have appropriate APA citations. Remember to only use slides as a guide and the expectation is you will present to the class and not read from your slides.
Everyone will turn in their presentation slides on 4/19/26. Presenters will record video either through Canvas Studio or software of their choosing and upload it into the Discussion Board for their assigned week. Dates will be chosen at random. Peers will respond to the presenter with questions, feedback, and what they learned from the presenter. The presenter will then respond to peer questions. This assignment is to be viewed as the presenter as the instructor, and the remaining students will engage as if it were the classroom.
Refer to the presentation rubric for expectations of the presentation.
Refer to the presentation discussion rubric for presentation discussion boards, as these boards will be different and require less per post.
Doomscrolling and Its Effects on Mental Health
Students Name: Alexis Ryan
Institution: Holy Family University
Course Name: intro to psychological
Due Date: 03/22/2026
Doomscrolling and Its Effects on Mental Health
Doomscrolling refers to the habit of scrolling through negative news or other upsetting information on the internet. The trend has led to the escalation of the behavior with the emergence of smartphones and social media. In as much as technology can allow us to access information in a very fast manner, technology exposes people to a steady stream of negative or panic causing messages. As a result, it has been found out that doomscrolling has been linked to multiple mental health problems, especially anxiety, depression, and emotional burnout (Sharpe et al., 2026). This behavior can be explained using psychological theories and why it takes place and has an impact on the people.
One of the most important effects of doomscrolling on mental health is that it causes anxiety. When a person is exposed to negative news repeatedly, such as in the instance of a disaster or war, the brain will begin to stay in a high level of alertness. This is associated with the concept of fight-or-flight response where the body is prepared to act on some perceived dangers. However, they are not immediate and controllable threats in doomscrolling. The cognitive-behavioral theory states that in case an individual is exposed to a series of negative messages, the same can lead to the development of distorted thoughts. It may also cause an impression of people that the world is not as bad as they believe it to be and become bored and frightened (Beck, 2020).
Another psychological concept that is related to doomscrolling is reinforcement. The social media platforms are designed in the manner that they keep the user on the toe through algorithms that show emotionally charged information. Negative news coverage will receive more attention and this serves to endorse the scrolling effect. This has led to the vicious cycle whereby the behavioral component of this causes the users to keep on searching in order to get updates at the cost of their mood. This tendency is similar to the variable schedules of reinforcement where the unpredictable reinforcement complicates the termination of behavior (Sharpe et al., 2026). Reward in this instance can be symbolized by the new knowledge or a sense of being in control but this may be temporary.
The other symptom that is brought about by doomscrolling is depression. It could be possible that staying in condition of a constant exposure to adverse content may lower the mood and reduce the feeling of optimism. This effect can be explained using the social comparison theory. Comparing their lives to the lives of other people or contemplating world problems, people may become helpless or inadequate. It can lead to the sense of helplessness, which is an essential symptom of depression, in the long-term (Sharpe et al., 2026). Secondly, excessive time on the internet restricts time to have a positive life such as meeting people, engaging in physical activities and sleeping that are important in the mental health.
However, this is not entirely negative with technology. It can also be used to make mental health resources and supportive communities available. An example is that digital platforms can provide coping skills, therapy sessions, and online support groups to individuals. It is a sign of the concept of social support that has been familiar with neutralizing stress (Sharpe et al., 2026). Technology when used in a well-planned and conscious way can help individuals to be up to date without being overly impressed. The major difference is the utilization of the technology but not its technology.
Recent studies also support such psychological explanations. According to Gao et al. (2020), the more the exposure to social media at the time of the crisis, the more the anxiety and depression. Similarly, in their study, Holman et al. (2014) found out that exposure to repeatoccurrences of stressful events through media can increase psychological distress. The findings indicate the psychological effects of working with negative content on the long-term.
To conclude, doomscrolling is a modern behavior that is technologically driven and has significant psychological consequences. It is one of the causes of anxiety due to unstopped exposure to the feeling of threat, the encouragement of bad habits through the assistance of social media design, and results in the symptoms of depression as it makes people think negatively and feel powerless. Technology is able to offer certain support and information but its impacts are dependent on how the technology is used. In order to reduce the adverse effect, one can reduce the time spent on screens, monitor what he/she reads, and do some meaningful offline activities. Doomscrolling is a psychological phenomenon that needs to be understood to make the online environment a healthier place in the present-day world.
References
Beck, J. S. (2020). Cognitive behavior therapy: Basics and beyond. Guilford Publications.
Gao, J., Zheng, P., Jia, Y., Chen, H., Mao, Y., Chen, S., & Dai, J. (2020). Mental health problems and social media exposure during COVID-19 outbreak. Plos one, 15(4), e0231924.
Holman, E. A., Garfin, D. R., & Silver, R. C. (2014). Medias role in broadcasting acute stress following the Boston Marathon bombings. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(1), 93-98.
Sharpe, A. T., Tyndall, I., Poulus, D. R., Obine, E. A., & Sharpe, B. T. (2026). The influence of doomscrolling on mental health: a scoping review. Mental Health and Digital Technologies, 1-53.
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