Why Bad News Is Addictive (Doomscrolling)—and What to Do About
It’s late. You’re tired. Every headline makes you feel worse, and somehow you still can’t stop scrolling. Why is bad news so hard to put down? In this episode, I break down the neuroscience behind doomscrolling and why it has less to do with willpower than we might think. Our brains evolved to pay close attention to potential threats, but today that ancient survival system has access to something it was never designed to handle: an endless stream of alarming information. We will explore how negativity bias makes threatening information feel especially important, while threat bias keeps our attention locked onto potential danger. Then there’s dopamine, not simply a “pleasure chemical,” but part of the brain’s motivation and pursuit system, which can keep us searching for the next piece of information, especially when we don’t know what we’ll find. Add in the body’s own stress response, and the cycle can become self-reinforcing. You read something alarming. Your body reacts. Those uncomfortable sensations can make the world feel even more threatening, which gives your brain another reason to keep searching for information. The problem? Most of what we encounter while doomscrolling isn’t something we can actually do anything about. Our nervous system prepares us to respond to a threat, but there’s often no meaningful action to take. So how do you break the cycle without feeling like you’re choosing ignorance, or that putting down your phone means you simply don’t care? I will help you rethink your relationship with bad news, recognize when staying informed has turned into compulsive threat monitoring, and learn how to step away without disengaging from the things that genuinely matter. This episode draws from Jeremy’s new book, Wired for Peace: Using 7 Neuroscience-Based Principles to Resolve Conflicts. 📘 Get Wired for Peace: https://a.co/d/02XFwbCC Dealing with conflict on your team or in your workplace? Pollack Peacebuilding Systems helps organizations resolve conflict, strengthen communication, and build healthier workplaces. Learn more or request a free consultation: https://pollackpeacebuilding.com About Jeremy Pollack, Ph.D. Jeremy is a social-organizational psychologist and the founder of Pollack Peacebuilding Systems. His work focuses on helping people and organizations understand conflict more deeply and use practical, neuroscience-informed strategies to handle it more effectively. 🎧 Listen now to learn how building conflict competency can transform tension into trust, alignment, and stronger performance. Connect with Me 🌐 Website: PollackPeacebuilding.com 🌐 Dr. Pollack’s Courses: peacefulleadersacademy.com/courses/ 📧 Email: support@pollackpeacebuilding.com 📱 LinkedIn: Jeremy Pollack 📣 Subscribe & Share: If this episode resonated, share it with a colleague or leader. Follow Peacebuilding with Dr. Pollack for practical tools that create healthier, more effective workplaces. Host: Dr. Jeremy Pollack from Pollack Peacebuilding Systems More from Dr. Pollack: Peaceful Leaders Academy Conflict Resolution Playbook: Practical Communication Skills for Preventing, Managing, and Resolving Conflict FREE e-book: The Ultimate 12-Step Guide to Coworker Mediation: Free Ebook - Pollack Peacebuilding Systems Connect with Dr. Pollack on social media: Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | LinkedIn