Feeling lousy? Stop Feeding On Doomsayers

We all know the feeling: we pick up our phones for a quick check, and suddenly, we've spent an hour immersed in a stream of distressing news. Not only do we wonder where the time went, we wonder why we feel drained and hopeless.

According to Dr. Laurel Williams, professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine, “doomscrolling” as it’s known, is adversely affecting our mental and physical health. “If you're only looking at certain news sources and it's confirming all of your worst fears, then you will most likely feel pretty crummy.”

When we can’t control or alter the devastating news we habitually consume, it can leave us feeling overwhelmed and demoralized. It can also be physically debilitating, disrupting our sleep, eating habits, and relationships.

Attention-grabbing platforms notoriously use algorithms that are designed to hit your limbic system and reward you for scrolling. However, there's a healthier alternative gaining attention. It's called "hope scrolling" or "kindness scrolling."

Dr. Kim Penberthy, the Chester F. Carlson Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia, says humans are hardwired to attend to negative stimuli. Hope scrolling, she said, provides a healthy balance, giving us a good reason to intentionally seek out positive and uplifting content.

Elaborating, Dr. Penberthy explains, "What we know from decades of psychophysiology research is that these perceptions of positive things—like when we see people being generous, or we see things that are kind and calming, or funny and charming—they send out these hormones in our body that are going to promote that feeling of connectedness, of safety. They're good for us. They're good for our body. Our body is saying, 'Oh, you can relax here. You're safe. This is good.' And when we do that over time, it is more helpful. We feel more positive, we are more relaxed, our stress is reduced, and thus our stress hormones."

Youtropolis strives to be that safe haven in the digital landscape. Unlike platforms driven by algorithms designed to keep you scrolling endlessly, Youtropolis creates a joyful social space that fosters connection and positivity without overwhelming your senses. With a goal of being "Everyone's social safety net" our open source platform is growing a base of user-generated communities that offer their own distinct blend of supportive and informative content aimed at promoting joy, inspiration, and mental wellbeing.

By choosing to engage with positive content and setting mindful boundaries, we can all transform our digital experiences into sources of hope and connection. Let's make conscious choices about our online consumption, seeking out spaces like Youtropolis that nourish our well-being and reflect the kindness we wish to see in the world.