Doomscrolling: Why do we do it? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute

English from BBC Learning

English. I'm Sam.

And I'm Neil.

Have you heard the expression

doomscrolling, Neil?

It's when people spend a lot

of time reading, or 'scrolling',

a mobile phone or computer screen

in order to read negative

news stories – stories full of doom.

I hate to admit it,

but I do sometimes doomscroll.

Well don't feel too bad,

Neil, because you're

not alone. Research from

the University of California

found that people all over

the world doomscroll,

regardless of culture.

What's more, there may

even be evolutionary reasons

why we're attracted to bad news.

In this programme, we'll be

investigating why we feel

compelled to look at,

and even seek out,

bad news. And, as usual,

we'll be learning some

new vocabulary, as well.

But before that I have

a question for you, Neil.

Doomscrolling is a very modern

idea which is only possible

with the 24/7, non-stop cycle

of news reporting.

So, according to international

news agency, Reuters,

what has been the top

global news story of 2023

so far? Is it:

a) The war in Ukraine?

b) Increasing prices and inflation?,

or, c) Prince Harry's autobiography?

I think the answer is

an issue that's affecting

everyone – inflation.

OK, Neil. I'll reveal

the answer at the end

of the programme.

Now, it might be true

that the non-stop news cycle

makes doomscrolling possible,

but that doesn't explain

why we do it. Anthropologist

Ella al-Shamahi thinks the answer

may lie in human evolution.

Here she outlines the problem

for BBC Radio 4 programme,

Why Do We Do That?

We go searching out for

bad news, looking for things

that will make us feel ick

inside. And so many of

us do it. Is it a result

of 24/7 doom on tap on our phones?

Or, is it some kind of

compulsion that comes

from somewhere way, way back?

Reading bad news stories

makes us feel ick –

an informal American phrase

which means feel sick,

often because of something

disgusting or disturbing.

It's a feeling caused by the

fact that, thanks to the internet,

now we have the news on tap

– easily available so that

you can have as much of

it as you want,

whenever you want.

But Ella thinks that's

not the whole story.

There's another theory:

way back in human history,

when we lived in caves,

it seemed everything could kill us,

from wild animals to eating

the wrong mushroom. Knowing

what the dangers were, and

how to avoid them, was vital

to our survival, and from

an evolutionary perspective,

survival is everything.

As a result, we humans naturally

pay attention to the negative stuff,

something Ella calls 'negativity bias'.

But while cavemen only

knew what was happening in

their local area, nowadays

we know the bad news from

all over the world.

Here's Ella again, discussing

this with her friend,

TV presenter, Clara Amfo,

for BBC Radio 4 programme,

Why Do We Do That?

Before it would be like,

I don't know, I'm assuming

you'd go to the neighbour's

cave and they'd only know...

the bad news from...

that particular mountain.

Whereas now, it's like,

'Let me tell you about the

really bad information and

situation that's going on

in some island somewhere...'.

It's just the good news

doesn't make up for it...

It really doesn't, and I think

trauma's romanticised, really.

'What doesn't kill you

makes you stronger',

'this is a test'.

I think we're conditioned to

believe that negative experiences

shape us more than joyous ones.

Reading bad news from

around the world can depress us,

and Ella thinks that the

little good news we do hear

doesn't make up for the

depressing news. To make up

for something means to compensate

for something bad with

something good.

Good news is hard

to find. In fact,

Clara thinks society has

romanticised bad, traumatic news.

If you romanticise something,

you talk about it in a way

that makes it sound better

than it really is.

Connected to this is

the saying, 'What doesn't

kill you makes you stronger',

meaning that by going through

difficult experiences in life,

people build up strength

and resilience for the future.

Maybe it's best to stop doomscrolling

altogether, but with so

much bad news pouring

into our mobile phones

every day, it's not easy.

OK, it's time to reveal

the answer to my question,

Neil. I asked you what

news agency, Reuters,

considers the top news

story of 2023 so far.

And I guessed it

was b) inflation.

Which was... the correct answer,

although there's still

plenty of time for 2023

to bring us more doom,

hopefully along with a little

positivity too.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary

we've learned from this

programme about doomscrolling

– spending lots of time

reading bad news stories

on your phone.

Feeling ick is American

slang for feeling sick,

often because of something

disgusting or disturbing.

When something is on tap,

it's easily available

so that you can have

of much of it as you want.

The phrasal verb to make

up for something means

to compensate for something

bad with something good.

When we romanticise something,

we make it sound better

than it is.

And finally, the saying

'what doesn't kill you

makes you stronger' means

that by going through difficult

life experiences, people

build up strength for

the future.

Once again our

six minutes are up,

but if doomscrolling's not

for you, remember you

can find lots of positive

news stories to build

your vocabulary here at

6 Minute English.

Don’t forget that

there is more to BBC Learning

English than 6 Minute English.

Why not try to improve

your vocabulary through the

language in news headlines.

Try the News Review video

on our website or download

the podcast.

But that's bye

for now! Bye!