Effects of Endless Scrolling on Social Media on the Brain

When you say, “Let me check this, let me go in there,” there are about 3-4 hours left before the alarm goes off and We cannot understand how the minutes fly by.

In fact, it is not only our sleep patterns that are negatively affected by this situation. our brain It also gives some reactions to these endless scrolls.

Well, from our endless scrolling on social media channels, Have you ever thought in which direction our brain is affected?

When we unconsciously browse social media or any website, our brain undergoes a series of complex reactions.

The key point in this process is undoubtedly dopamine. Dopamine, a neurotransmitter that we can mostly explain with the concepts of satisfaction, pleasure and happiness, It is released during our enjoyable time.

In fact, with every new notification we receive and every new post we see, our brain is He gets a little dopamine rush and is happy about it. This satisfaction secretly encourages us to swipe the phone for the next dopamine rush.

While dopamine keeps us busy while we unconsciously scroll on the phone, On the other hand, our stress response may be triggered. This occurs when we come across any negative images or content on the internet.

The strange thing here is that due to the combination of happiness and stress, we become subject to a paradoxical addiction to scrolling.

In addition, we unconsciously surf social media or the internet, so to speak, It has negative effects on our attention span in both the short and long term.

In the short term, it becomes difficult for us to focus on important tasks, our productivity decreases, and even short-term with memory loss We may encounter.

In the long run, this focus problem causes our focus to disappear for longer periods of time and our patience in daily life to decrease. On the other hand, this situation It also brings cognitive fatigue.

According to Cleveland Clinic’s research, this situation occurs when someone shares feeling left out of parties or special occasions It may cause anxiety, depression or sleep problems.

Additionally, a study conducted by Penn State University found that unconsciously scrolling through posts on social media is often It comes from the fear of missing out Has detected.

Of course, social media and the internet have their advantages in some respects.

But being aware of how we use social media and trying to be conscious, for our psychological and physiological health It is of great importance.

To prevent us from scrolling through posts unconsciously, We can set limits for the time we spend on social media And before we pick up the phone, we can question why we want to access the internet.

Although this habit may seem quite enjoyable due to the effect of dopamine, it is It’s a temporary satisfaction And it is useful to remind ourselves from time to time that as long as we continue this behavior, we enter a vicious circle and are negatively affected in many respects.

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