Doomscrolling, the habit of constantly scrolling through disturbing news, is linked to increased feelings of distrust of others and a belief that life is meaningless. Lead author Reza Shabahang and his team found that these behaviors contribute to vicarious trauma, with people experiencing psychological distress from exposure to traumatic events in the news, even if they had not personally experienced such events.
The study involved 800 college students in Iran and the U.S., who examined how fate-seeking habits affected their existential issues and perception of the world. In both cultural groups, there was a correlation between exposure to bad news and increased existential anxiety, with Iranian participants also showing increased misanthropy.
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Source: Ferra
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