We All Do It But Doomscrolling Is Making Us Miserable, Says New Study
While we all know that we shouldn’t, many of us are in the miserable habit of doomscrolling. That is to say, we spend our leisure time scrolling on our phones, looking at alarming and depressing content, unable to tear ourselves away.
Of course, staying informed is essential but there comes a point where we are actively harming ourselves. Leading mental health charity Mental Health UK says: “With round-the-clock news updates available with a single tap on a phone screen, it’s easy to get drawn in to reading negative story after story.
“So what starts out as information gathering can quickly turn into an unconscious habit that can leave us feeling overwhelmed and anxious.”
Now, a new study by the University of Sussex has found that scrolling social media is the activity many of us do most often, and it brings us the least joy of all activities that we do.
The survey of 2,182 respondents was conducted by psychologists from the university to explore the emotional impact of people’s leisure activities to try to understand what brings us joy.
And it’s not our phones, it turns out.
The activities we should be doing instead of doomscrolling
Listening to music
Listening to music for pleasure topped the list of joyful activities, receiving an average joy score of 6.16 out of 7 (rated from 1= not at all to 7= extremely).
According to John Hopkins University, listening to music “can relieve some symptoms of depression and generally elevate your mood” and “studies show that music can boost your brain’s production of dopamine and serotonin and even reduce cortisol levels”.
Playing a musical instrument
Playing a musical instrument came in at a close second with an average joy score of 6.04 on the joy scale.
Not only is it great for your brain (musical training has been linked to academic success) it’s also been proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, helping to relieve stress.
The Merit School of Music adds: “The act of making music involves understanding emotional messaging, requiring you to tap into, acknowledge, and express your feelings.
“The more you go through this process of emotional regulation and expression through music, the easier it gets in or out of the practice room. Music education is truly a form of therapy!”
Reading books
Reading comes with a wealth of benefits to our health, romantic lives and even our empathetic capabilities – and it was the third most popular activity for respondents.
If you’re not much of a reader but keen to get started, we recently shared tips on how to read more when you’re out of the habit.
Crafting
I can personally attest to the joys of crafting and trust me, I am not good at it. There is just something so magical about creating something with your own hands for no other reason than to have fun – and others seem to agree, as this was the fourth most joyful activity ranked by respondents.
Speaking to HuffPost UK last year, Dr Ritz Birah, consultant counselling psychologist and sleep expert for Panda London, explained: “One really helpful indoor hobby for mental health and sleep during the winter months is mindful crafting, like knitting or crochet.
“The repetitive, steady movements give your brain something simple and soothing to focus on, almost like a meditation you can hold in your hands.
“This gentle, focused activity can calm the nervous system, ease anxious thoughts, and create a feeling of emotional steadiness, something especially valuable during the darker, quieter months when mood can naturally dip.”
Volunteering
Finally, rounding off the top five activities is volunteering, which respondents didn’t do quite as frequently but still felt immense benefits from.
We can find joy by being more intentional with our time
Professor Robin Banerjee, an expert in developmental psychology at the University of Sussex, who led the research, said: “The study provides compelling evidence that an important key to psychological fulfilment and wellbeing could lie in being more intentional with our leisure time.
“These findings highlight the importance of dedicating time to hobbies that are emotionally rewarding and socially enriching, offering a powerful blueprint for maximising personal wellbeing.
“It is also striking to see the activity we do with the most frequency, social media scrolling, is the activity that brings us least joy, suggesting that if we are led by what intrinsically motivates us as opposed to algorithms we can move towards experiencing more joy in our lives.”
Noted.