“Mean World Syndrome”
Although many people doomscroll while attempting to learn about the world, it can actually warp their sense of reality. Their bodies feel stuck on adrenaline as if they are in mortal danger, even when they are in a safe environment. “Since the 1970s, we know of the ‘mean world syndrome’ — the belief that the world is a more dangerous place to live in than it actually is — as a result of long-term exposure to violence-related content on television,” says Mesfin Bekalu, a research scientist at Harvard’s T. H. Chan School of Public Health, to Wired. “So, doomscrolling can lead to the same long-term effects on mental health unless we mount interventions that address users’ behaviors and guide the design of social media platforms in ways that improve mental health and well-being.”
