One of the occupational hazards of my work is that I spend much of my day engaging with news and cultural issues, much of which is more discouraging than encouraging. Such “doomscrolling” is so common that it was one of the Oxford English Dictionary’s words of the year in 2020.
But constantly consuming bad news causes the amygdala in our brain to sense danger, alerting our hypothalamus to tell our sympathetic nervous system to activate our fight-or-flight response. This causes our body’s adrenal glands to release stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which contribute to high blood pressure and impair cognitive abilities such as concentration, decision-making, and emotional regulation.
Reinforcing bad results
This reaction reinforces negative thoughts and feelings, increases anxiety and depression, leads to mental fatigue, impairs concentration, and reduces productivity. Nausea, headaches, muscle tension, neck and shoulder pain, and difficulty sleeping often result as well.
In other words, doomscrolling is bad.
Now to the good news: I read an article recently in which therapists are recommending “bloomscrolling” as a counter to the bad news in the news. This means intentionally seeking out uplifting content online such as nature videos, heartwarming stories, and hobbies. This shifts our brain toward oxytocin and stable dopamine, hormones that are released in response to positive social interactions.
To this end, let’s look at a story that is encouraging me greatly these days.
Read more.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Jim Denison and originally published by the Denison Forum.
Share with others: