Doomscrolling is now an official entry in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, which is a very damning indication of the times that we live in. The American Psychological Association has consistently found that following the news is one of the top sources of stress for Americans, with the majority saying it makes them feel worse, and yet the scrolling continues.
At least 95% of adults in America say that they follow the news, which is great! We should certainly all stay informed. But there are limits because more than half say they are stressed because of it. This doesn't mean you are weak, though. The brain evolved to prioritize negative information as a survival mechanism, and that same brain is now pointed directly at a content machine specifically designed to hold its attention indefinitely.
The timing of morning doomscrolling also makes it worse than it sounds. The cortisol awakening response is a physiological event in which cortisol levels peak within 30 to 45 minutes of waking up. This morning surge is meant to prime your body for the day ahead.
What it also does is make you significantly more reactive to stress during that window, which means absorbing a geopolitical crisis before breakfast is not the information literacy you might think it is. It is stress-loading a system that is already running at full capacity, so don't feed the monster!
Laughter moves in the opposite direction. Research from the Mayo Clinic confirms that laughing lowers cortisol and adrenaline, triggers endorphin release, and provides a short-term boost to immune function. It is available for free, from your phone, in the time it takes to look at a photo of a golden retriever doing something inadvisable. The science is almost embarrassingly simple, which makes it even more baffling that we are choosing war coverage over it at 7am instead of this feed.
What makes memes specifically effective is the speed. A good meme delivers recognition and an emotional payoff in about two seconds flat. The kind of instant endorphin release that we have become obsessed with. It is an immediate gut reaction of "yes, that is exactly what that is like," followed by an involuntary exhale. The best memes are just accurate, and accuracy about the small absurdities of daily life turns out to be one of the more reliable mood adjustments available without a prescription.
A study published in the Journal of Mental Health found that 47% of college students intentionally seek out memes as a way to manage anxiety and psychiatric symptoms. So instead of reaching for a drink or crying their eyes out, almost half of college students are doing the smart thing. Now, if only we can convince the other half that this is the way forward...
The threshold for results from meme-scrolling is also lower than you might expect. Research led by Professor Jessica Myrick at Pennsylvania State University found that viewing just three memes is enough to meaningfully elevate mood, generate positive emotion, and increase a person's confidence in handling daily stress. The bar for a better morning is apparently a very short scroll, so this thread is basically Zoloft. You are welcome.
