Maybe Scrolling Isn’t the Problem: What Psychology Says About Giving Your Brain a Break
You finally get home after a long day.
You've made decisions, answered questions, solved problems, managed personalities, responded to emails—and probably carried a few things home in your head that technically should have stayed at work.
You sit down, pick up your phone and start scrolling.
And somewhere in the back of your mind comes that familiar message:
I shouldn't be doing this.
I should exercise. I should meditate. I should read. I should do something that's actually good for me.
But what if scrolling for a little while isn't necessarily the problem?
What if, sometimes, your brain is simply asking for a break?
Our Brains Need to Detach: From Doom to RESET scrolling
Psychologists use the term psychological detachment to describe our ability to mentally disengage from the demands that have been consuming our attention.
That's important because stress doesn't automatically stop when the workday does.
We leave the office but continue the meeting in our heads. We replay conversations, think about tomorrow and remember the email we forgot to send.
Our body may be sitting on the couch while our brain is still at work.
And research suggests that sometimes a little mindless scrolling can help interrupt that loop.
A 2024 study published in Scientific Reports examined 300 employees after mentally demanding work. Researchers found that brief, pleasurable social-media breaks provided some psychological recovery and helped people detach from work.
Other workplace research has found similar benefits, particularly relaxation and psychological detachment. One small experimental study even found faster cardiovascular recovery after an acute stressor among participants who used social media compared with those who quietly read.
So yes, there is actually some science behind wanting to look at ridiculous dog or cat videos after a stressful day.
But There's a Catch
This does not mean that three hours of doomscrolling at 1:00 a.m. is now doctor recommended.
Research on social media and mental health is mixed. A large meta-analysis of 141 studies involving approximately 145,000 people found that the relationship between active or passive social-media use and well-being was generally small and much more complicated than "scrolling = bad."
Context matters.
What you're consuming matters. Why you're scrolling matters. And how you feel afterward matters.
Twenty minutes of comedy clips, pottery videos, travel pictures or whatever makes your brain happy might help you mentally transition out of your day.
Forty-five minutes of increasingly upsetting news, arguments and comparison may leave your nervous system more activated than when you started.
Same phone. Same thumb. Very different experience.
Maybe Ask a Different Question
Instead of asking:
"Is scrolling bad for me?"
Try asking:
"What is this doing for me right now?"
Do you feel calmer afterward?
Did your mind finally stop replaying the day?
Can you put the phone down when you're ready?
Or do you feel more anxious, angry, isolated or overwhelmed?
That's useful information.
And it brings us to something we sometimes forget about self-care:
Recovery doesn't always have to look productive.
Meditation can be wonderful. So can exercise, journaling, getting outside and practicing mindfulness.
But when we're already mentally exhausted, sometimes we turn self-care into another damn assignment.
Sometimes your brain wants something easy.
Something that asks absolutely nothing from you.
That isn't necessarily laziness.
Sometimes it's recovery.
And sometimes watching a cat or dog dance can also be wonderful.
Curiosity Instead of Judgment
This is also something we explore in therapy.
Rather than immediately labeling a behavior as "good" or "bad," we can get curious about what the behavior is doing for you.
Maybe scrolling helps an overwhelmed nervous system transition after work. Maybe it interrupts rumination. Maybe you're looking for connection.
Or maybe you've noticed that scrolling has become a way to avoid thoughts, feelings or situations that need some attention.
Those are very different things.
At No Stress No Stigma, we believe mental health care should make room for those conversations, without judgment, shame or another list of things you're supposed to be doing correctly.
So if twenty minutes of ridiculous videos helps your shoulders drop and your brain finally stop working?
Maybe you don't need to feel guilty about it.
Maybe your brain is simply saying:
"I've made enough decisions today. Please show me the golden retriever wearing Crocs."
Fair enough.
Michelle is currently accepting new clients! You can book an initial session with him at this link here or contact our client services team via email at clientservices@nsns.systems.
References
Grobelny, J., Glinka, M., & Chirkowska-Smolak, T. (2024). The impact of hedonic social media use during microbreaks on employee resources recovery. Scientific Reports, 14, 21603. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-72825-x
Godard, R., & Holtzman, S. (2024). Are active and passive social media use related to mental health, wellbeing, and social support outcomes? A meta-analysis of 141 studies. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 29(1), zmad055. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmad055
Are social media bad for your employees? Effects of at-work break activities on recovery experiences. (2021). International Journal of Hospitality Management, 96, 102957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2021.102957
Social media use following exposure to an acute stressor facilitates recovery from the stress response. (2020). Physiology & Behavior, 223, 113012. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113012
