We are all familiar with and have been participants in the compulsive act of continuously scrolling through news and social media content called doomscrolling. Where it has been said to leave people feeling anxious, hopeless, or emotionally drained, there is apparently, now a positive type of scrolling gaining speed called ‘bloomscrolling.’
With the endless stream of doom-laden headlines, scathing comments and algorithm-driven outrage loops, it’s no wonder many people now feel overwhelmed by their online experience.
Social platforms that once promised connection and discovery have too often become purveyors of anxiety and burnout.
This is where a calmer trend is beginning to gain attention. Rather than surrendering to a relentless feed of stress, people are trying to curate uplifting, hopeful and happy social media content to scroll through.
What Is Bloomscrolling?
While the exact origin of the term bloomscrolling is unclear, a Vietnamese site report claimed that the term “appeared first in March 2021 in a blog by author Z.M.L on the site Librarian Shipwreck.” It’s supposed to be a portmanteau of ‘bloom’ and ‘scrolling’, with bloom standing for something that helps improve one’s mood.
In a recent Instagram post by psychiatrist and mental health expert Dr Mana Singh, the term is described as “the intentional act of curating your social media feed to include content that uplifts or inspires rather than drains your mental energy.”
She explains it as “each scroll gives a small dopamine hit, reinforcing the urge to keep going. In doomscrooling, this becomes negative reinforcement, where we scroll to escape boredom, uncertainty or anxiety. Bloom scrolling replaces that with positive reinforcement, helping the brain associate scrolling with choice, calm and control, instead of compulsion.”
Singh further added that where doomscrolling’s effects, that is “consuming distressing content 24/7 keeps your nervous system on alert,” on the other hand, “choosing uplifting content helps balance your mood, attention, and creativity.”
She suggests that to bloomscroll, one should:
- “Follow pages that inspire, teach, or soothe,
- Unfollow or mute content that drains you, and
- Engage with posts that spark curiosity or joy.”
This will then help in
- “better mood regulation,
- Lower digital fatigue,
- Stronger creative thinking,
- Increased sense of hope and well-being.”
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Dr Rituparna Ghosh, senior consultant psychologist, Apollo Hospitals Navi Mumbai, speaking with India Today, explained the act as “Yes, bloomscrolling can genuinely help reduce stress and anxiety.
When you deliberately seek out positive, uplifting content — whether that’s good news stories, cute animal videos, inspiring achievements, or beautiful nature imagery — you’re essentially giving your brain a curated diet of positive stimuli, creating genuine moments of joy.”
Dr Sonali Chaturvedi, consultant psychologist, Arete Hospital, also added, “Bloomscrolling can actually help people sometimes, especially in the early stages of anxiety or depression, or even during seasonal affective disorder, which is an acute phenomenon too.”
The whole goal is to cut down on both mindless scrolling and feeding into the relentless vortex of negative news. Bloomscroll also doesn’t want to encourage users to scroll through endless positive news; instead, it’s more about moderation and engaging with posts that not only uplift but also invigorate users.
Dr Rituparna Ghosh also explained the science behind this. She said, “There’s solid neuroscience backing this up. Research on the broaden-and-build theory shows that positive emotions literally expand our cognitive perspective and help us think more creatively and flexibly, counteracting the tunnel vision that anxiety creates.
There’s also evidence that viewing nature scenes or prosocial content can lower cortisol levels and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promoting relaxation.”
While bloomscrolling offers a promising shift, experts caution that unrelenting positivity online can carry its own risks. The phenomenon of “toxic positivity,” where negative emotions are suppressed in favour of an ever-optimistic front, is another side and should not be ignored.
In the context of positivity bias, unlimited streams of “feel-good” content can backfire, where users may feel pressure to only engage with happy posts, suppress real concerns, or become anxious about inadvertently encountering “bad” content.
As Dr Sonali Chaturvedi warns: “Because people are now wilfully engaging with positive posts, many feel anxious about accidentally consuming anything that might harm their mental health.
So, the side effects of continuous exposure to social media or simply being on devices for too long still apply to bloomscrolling. After all, not every scroll guarantees good content; you still have to search for it.”
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: Firstpost, India Today, Forbes
Find the blogger: @chirali_08
This post is tagged under: Bloomscrolling, doomscrolling, social media, social media negativity, optimism, bloomscrolling meaning, doomscrolling instagram, doomscrolling news, social media news, social media negative impact
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