{"id":1435,"date":"2026-08-11T10:16:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T10:16:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/maashaktiyogbali.com\/blog\/?p=1435"},"modified":"2026-08-11T10:16:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T10:16:26","slug":"doomscrolling-vs-meditation-what-happens-to-the-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/maashaktiyogbali.com\/blog\/doomscrolling-vs-meditation-what-happens-to-the-brain\/","title":{"rendered":"Doomscrolling vs Meditation: What Happens to the Brain?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Ever taken a moment to pick up the phone and find yourself questioning what happened after a half hour? When we say that, we feel like we’re in the company of others. This practice even has a term: doomscrolling. The other way around, many of us have heard of the soothing effect of the mind through meditation, but what is its explanation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today, let’s sit together and look at the real phenomena that are going on in our brains during doomscrolling vs. meditating. As yoga and meditation teachers for years, this is one of the most common questions we get asked in class: Why does scrolling make me feel worse? Why does meditation make me feel better? Let’s explain in a friendly manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what is doomscrolling?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
In the words of other people, doomscrolling is the practice of continuously reading negative information, reading bad news, and reading anxiety-inducing social media posts, even when it makes us feel bad. After one more post, one more headline, and one more video, we tell ourselves we’ll put it down, but somehow, we can’t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, it’s not our fault really. We have a built-in mechanism that focuses on threats\/danger that has been around for thousands of years\u2026 survival. Social media and news-based applications are aware of this too, and they are made to keep us engaged by appealing to this instinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Why Doomscoping Harms Our Brains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Let’s have a look at the engine. There are several things that happen in our brain and nervous system when we doomscroll:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. Dopamine makes us addicted.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Each swipe to a different post triggers a release of dopamine in our brain, the “reward” chemical. It is the same chemical that plays a role in other addictive activities. All the uncertainty about the next thing is that it’s a shock. Will it be a shock? Something upsetting? Something funny?) keeps us coming back for more, similar to a slot machine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2. Cortisol levels rise.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Our brain’s alarm system, the amygdala, is activated as we eat bad news or content. This releases our primary stress hormone, which is cortisol. In time, high cortisol can impact our sleep, digestion, mood, and even our immune system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. The nervous system remains in “fight or flight.”<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Our sympathetic nervous system remains on constantly when we “doomscroll.” This is our conscious side that activates fight-or-flight. Our body has the sense of being threatened because it is constantly absorbing stressful content, even if we’re sitting in bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4. Our attention lapses.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Repeatedly scrolling trains our brain to look for short, choppy chunks of information. This can make it more difficult to concentrate on longer work activities, read a book, or even sit through a conversation without checking our phones over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The result? We go home feeling anxious, overstimulated, and mentally clouded, even though we weren’t physically exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, let’s take a look at meditation.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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