Opinion Today: Why you doomscroll — and what you can do about it
Date: July 9, 2025
Author: Parker Richards, Staff Editor
Source: nytimes.com
What should you do when you're too stressed to function? When you seem to always want to binge-watch a show rather than make progress on a longer-term goal? How can you cope when you feel powerless? These are the kinds of questions a lot of us spend our days asking. They're more or less eternal - not really solvable - always eating away at our minds. But just because something isn't solvable doesn't mean there's no room for improvement.
Emily Falk, a neuroscientist whose recent book focuses on making choices that align with our deeply held values, thinks a lot about how to make good choices. Falk is one of the foremost experts in her field - one of the people best positioned to think through the problems of value-decision alignment. This year, she's had to think about it under particularly stressful conditions as the Trump administration moved to cut funding - since restored - that she and her colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania rely upon for their research.
Falk's essay for Times Opinion - part reflection on her own decision-making through stress, and part examination of how each of us can make better choices - delves into the how and why of it all. It's helpful in stressful times, yes, but also offers real tips for what to do when you next want to lose weight, get off the couch for a protest or get back to reading rather than scrolling.
Guest Essay:
Title: Here Is the Science of Why You Doomscroll
Author: Emily Falk
Description: Making decisions that align long-term goals and short-term rewards is challenging, but it can lead to better choices and richer lives.
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