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Why do I feel worse after scrolling? 5 things that happen
7 min read
You open the app to take the edge off a long day. Twenty minutes later you feel flatter, more tired, or vaguely behind everyone else, and you're not sure why. That's a common pattern, and researchers have measured parts of it. Scrolling often leaves you worse off than you expected, and the gap between what you expect and what you get is exactly what keeps you coming back. Here are five things that happen, and a counter-move for each.
1. You expected it to help
In a 2014 study, psychologists Christina Sagioglou and Tobias Greitemeyer had people spend 20 minutes either on Facebook or browsing other websites. Afterwards, the Facebook group was in a worse mood, and the drop went along with a sense of not having done anything meaningful. In a third study, people predicted they would feel better after Facebook. They felt worse. The effect was small, but the mismatch explains a lot: you keep reaching for something you expect to help, and it rarely does.
Counter-move: After your next scroll, rate how you feel from 1 to 10, and compare it with how you expected to feel. Do it a few times. Seeing the gap in your own numbers loosens the "this will help" pull.
2. Everyone else's best moments, one after another
The feed shows you other people's holidays, promotions, bodies and homes, picked and polished, one after another. In 2014, Erin Vogel and colleagues found that people who used Facebook most had lower self-esteem, and that this went along with more comparisons with people who seemed better off. When they showed people a profile of someone doing very well, self-esteem dropped. Many people don't even notice they're comparing. They just close the app feeling behind.
Counter-move: Notice who leaves you feeling worse, and mute or unfollow them. Instagram has a Mute option, so nobody gets a notification. Then set a limit on the app so you see less of the feed overall.
3. Skipping keeps you bored
When nothing feels interesting, swiping to the next thing seems like the answer. In seven experiments, Katy Tam and Michael Inzlicht found the opposite: people who could skip between videos ended up more bored and less satisfied than people who watched one video all the way through. The more you skip, the flatter it all feels, which is why an evening of scrolling can leave you with the sense that nothing is exciting anymore.
Counter-move: Pick one thing and finish it: a whole episode, one album, one long article. Let the urge to move on come and go without acting on it.
4. It takes the place of things that would lift you
An hour in the feed is an hour not spent outside, with a friend, or on something you're proud of afterwards. In a 2020 experiment by Hunt Allcott and colleagues, people paid to deactivate Facebook for four weeks spent more time offline, including with family and friends, and reported higher well-being than people who kept using it. The feed doesn't only add something that brings you down. It also takes out things that build you up.
Counter-move: For the time of day you scroll most, plan one small offline thing in advance: a walk around the block, a call, ten minutes of a hobby. Write it down, so you don't have to come up with it when you're tired. Ideas for filling the gap →
5. Feeling low pulls you back in
Many people reach for the phone when they're tired, lonely, stressed or bored. Scrolling quiets the feeling for a moment, and then, as above, tends to leave you a little lower, which makes the next reach more likely. Over time it can be hard to tell which came first. What's clear from experiments is that cutting back can help: in a 2018 study, students who limited Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat to 10 minutes a day each for three weeks reported less loneliness and depression than those who didn't.
Counter-move: Before you open the app, name the feeling: tired, lonely, stressed, bored. Then pick something that answers that feeling directly: rest, a message to a friend, a walk. What to do when the urge hits →
So what actually helps?
Cutting back on the feeds, not quitting your phone. In the studies above, people who limited or paused social media felt better on average, though the effects were modest and not everyone benefited. In a 2025 experiment, adults who blocked mobile internet on their phones for two weeks also reported better well-being and mental health. The common thread: less time in the feed, and the time going somewhere else.
If it's more than a bad scroll: if you've felt low most days for a couple of weeks or more, or you're thinking about hurting yourself, please talk to a doctor or someone you trust, or contact a local crisis line. Pactroll is a self-help tool, not treatment.
Less feed, without the fight
You can set this up yourself with Screen Time, but it's fiddly: a custom category, a zero allowance, someone to hold the passcode. Pactroll puts it in one place. Pick the apps that leave you feeling worse and they lock, even when Pactroll is closed. When you reach for one, "I feel the urge" starts by asking you to name what's going on, then gives you five minutes of something else. If you still want in after two rounds, the apps open for 15 minutes, then lock again on their own.
Get Pactroll on the App StoreFAQ
Why does scrolling make me feel bad?
A few things stack up: the time feels wasted, the feed is full of other people's best moments, skipping from clip to clip leaves you more bored, and the scroll takes the place of things that would have lifted you. In experiments, people's mood dropped after 20 minutes on Facebook compared with browsing other sites.
Why do I keep scrolling if it makes me feel worse?
Because you expect it to help. In a 2014 study, people predicted they'd feel better after using Facebook, and felt worse instead. That expectation is what pulls you back, especially when you're tired, bored or low. Checking how you actually feel afterwards helps break it.
Will cutting back on social media make me happier?
For many people it helps, though the effects are modest on average. Students who limited three social apps to 10 minutes a day each reported less loneliness and depression after three weeks, and adults who deactivated Facebook for four weeks reported higher well-being. You don't have to quit everything; cutting the feeds is what was tested.
How do I stop comparing myself to people on Instagram?
Change what you see rather than trying to feel differently about it. Mute or unfollow the accounts that leave you feeling behind, and set a limit on the app so you see less of the feed overall. Research links frequent upward comparison on social media with lower self-esteem.