91原创

Put down the phone and slowly retreat from your newsfeed. So-called doomscrolling 鈥� continually absorbing negative news in rapid-fire fashion, typically on social media 鈥� has become an increasingly popular pastime. But research suggests the habit is wreaking havoc on your health.

From an evolutionary perspective, zeroing in on threats is helpful; if cave-dwelling ancestors could see a saber-toothed predator coming, they were more likely to keep their limbs.

But the practice is 鈥渘ot so helpful when the threat we're monitoring is halfway around the world,鈥� said Morgan Ellithorpe, associate professor of communication at 91原创. Especially for those with anxiety or depression 鈥� a set predisposed to doomscroll 鈥� keeping tabs on remote, uncontrollable crises can spike cortisol levels and reinforce negative thinking, sometimes disrupting work and relationships.

Ellithorpe鈥檚 advice for breaking free?

Put your scrolling on a clock: 鈥淔ind the amount of time that works for you 鈥� and stick to it.鈥�