Doomscrolling - Why Do We Love Bad News Before Bed? | Easy English Conversation for Beginners | 02
Everyday English Talk
Transcript
Tap a line to jump
0:00
Do
you
go
to
bed,
but
then
pick
up
your
0:02
phone
and
read
the
news
for
1
more
hour?
0:05
Or
do
you
read
terrible
stories
that
0:07
make
you
feel
very
nervous
and
scared?
0:12
>>
[music]
0:13
>>
Welcome
back
to
Everyday
English
Talk.
0:16
I'm
Ben.
And
I'm
Anna.
0:19
Hello
everyone.
Today
we
are
talking
0:21
about
a
very
interesting
health
topic.
0:24
It
is
a
big
question
for
many
people.
0:27
Exactly.
0:28
We
are
looking
at
a
very
common
bad
0:30
habit.
Why
do
we
love
reading
bad
news
0:33
before
bed?
I
do
this
every
single
0:36
night.
It
makes
me
tired,
but
I
just
0:38
cannot
stop.
Are
you
a
bad
news
reader,
0:41
too,
Ben?
Oh,
I
fall
into
that
trap
0:45
sometimes.
Let's
get
into
it.
0:51
So,
let's
talk
about
the
problem
first.
0:54
Every
night
I
turn
off
the
light
and
get
0:56
ready
to
sleep,
but
then
I
pick
up
my
0:59
phone
and
open
the
news.
What
do
you
1:02
usually
read
on
your
phone
at
night,
1:04
Anna?
That
is
the
strange
part.
I
do
not
1:07
watch
funny
videos.
I
read
about
1:10
terrible
accidents,
money
problems
in
1:12
the
world,
or
very
scary
events.
These
1:15
stories
make
me
feel
very
nervous.
1:18
To
feel
nervous
means
you
feel
worried,
1:21
a
little
scared,
and
you
cannot
relax.
1:24
Your
heart
beats
fast.
But
you
still
1:26
keep
reading
more
bad
news,
right?
1:29
Exactly.
I
know
it
is
bad
for
me,
but
I
1:32
cannot
stop.
I
keep
scrolling
and
1:35
scrolling.
This
modern
bad
habit
has
a
1:38
special
name.
1:39
It
is
called
doomscrolling.
1:42
Doom
means
very
bad
things
happening.
1:45
Scrolling
means
moving
your
finger
up
1:48
and
down
your
phone
screen
to
read
more.
1:51
So,
doomscrolling
means
you
cannot
stop
1:54
reading
bad
news
on
your
phone,
even
1:57
when
it
makes
you
feel
terrible.
That
1:59
word
describes
my
life
perfectly.
And
2:02
the
next
morning
is
awful
because
my
2:04
brain
was
full
of
bad
thoughts
all
2:06
night.
I
cannot
sleep
well.
2:09
I
wake
up
feeling
tired
and
angry.
This
2:12
is
a
very
big
problem
for
many
people
2:14
today.
2:15
But
there
is
a
wrong
idea
that
many
2:18
people
believe
about
this
habit.
What
is
2:20
the
wrong
idea?
People
think,
"I
need
to
2:24
read
the
news.
I
want
to
know
what
is
2:26
happening
in
the
world.
If
I
know
about
2:28
bad
things,
I
can
protect
myself
and
my
2:32
family."
They
think
it
is
a
responsible
2:35
and
smart
thing
to
do.
Yes,
I
feel
2:39
exactly
that
way.
I
feel
like
a
good
and
2:41
smart
person
because
I
am
reading
the
2:43
news.
I
completely
understand.
It
feels
2:47
important.
But
reading
scary
stories
at
2:51
11:00
p.m.
does
not
help
you
protect
2:53
anyone.
2:54
It
only
makes
your
brain
stressed
and
2:57
breaks
your
sleep.
To
be
stressed
means
2:59
to
feel
a
lot
of
worry
and
pressure,
3:02
like
a
rubber
band
that
is
pulled
too
3:04
tight.
Exactly.
3:06
And
there
is
a
second
problem
making
3:08
things
worse.
3:10
The
bright
white
light
from
your
phone
3:12
screen.
Oh,
yes.
3:14
That
light
is
terrible
for
sleep,
too.
3:17
It
tells
my
brain,
"Hey,
3:20
it
is
still
daytime.
Stay
awake."
So,
we
3:24
have
two
problems
together.
The
bad
news
3:27
makes
you
nervous
and
stressed.
The
3:30
bright
screen
light
tricks
your
brain
3:32
into
thinking
it
is
not
bedtime.
Two
3:35
problems
at
once.
No
wonder
I
cannot
3:38
sleep.
Why
does
our
brain
love
bad
news
3:40
so
much?
Let's
find
out
the
truth.
3:44
>>
[music]
3:46
>>
Welcome
back,
everyone.
Let's
look
at
3:49
the
facts.
First,
why
does
your
brain
3:53
love
bad
news?
Is
something
wrong
with
3:56
you?
I
really
hope
not.
Please
explain
3:59
this
to
me,
Ben.
You
are
completely
4:02
normal.
Your
brain
is
just
doing
what
it
4:04
was
built
to
do.
4:06
To
understand
this,
let's
go
back
in
4:09
time.
4:10
Think
about
people
who
lived
a
very,
4:12
very
long
time
ago.
4:15
Maybe
10,000
years
ago.
Okay,
I
can
4:18
imagine
it.
They
lived
in
forests
and
4:21
fields.
They
hunted
animals
for
food
4:23
every
day.
Right.
And
life
was
extremely
4:27
dangerous.
Every
day
they
had
to
watch
4:31
out
for
wild
animals,
poisonous
snakes,
4:34
and
bad
weather.
4:35
Here
is
the
key.
If
they
ignored
a
4:38
pretty
flower,
nothing
bad
happened.
But
4:41
if
they
ignored
a
hidden
tiger
in
the
4:43
grass,
they
would
die.
Oh,
so
their
4:46
brain
learned
to
always
watch
for
danger
4:49
first.
Exactly.
Because
of
this,
the
4:52
human
brain
has
one
powerful
rule.
Pay
4:56
attention
to
danger.
This
is
our
natural
4:59
warning
system.
Warning
system.
I
love
5:02
that
phrase.
A
warning
system
is
5:05
something
that
tells
you
about
danger
5:07
before
it
is
too
late,
like
a
fire
alarm
5:10
in
a
building.
Perfect
example.
Your
5:13
brain
is
your
personal
warning
system.
5:16
If
someone
says,
"Look
at
that
beautiful
5:18
bird,"
you
smile.
5:20
But
if
someone
says,
"Look
at
that
5:22
tiger,"
your
body
reacts
in
1
second.
5:26
You
run.
Your
brain
focuses
completely
5:30
on
the
danger
to
keep
you
alive.
So,
5:33
when
I
read
a
scary
news
story
on
my
5:35
phone,
my
brain
thinks
it
is
a
real
5:37
tiger
in
my
bedroom.
5:39
It
turns
on
the
warning
system
and
keeps
5:42
me
wide
awake.
Exactly.
Your
brain
is
5:45
trying
to
protect
you.
5:47
But
the
problem
is
the
danger
in
the
5:50
news
story
is
not
in
your
room.
It
is
5:52
far
away.
5:54
You
are
completely
safe
in
your
bed.
5:57
Your
brain's
warning
system
is
reacting
5:59
to
something
that
cannot
hurt
you.
My
6:02
poor
old
brain
cannot
tell
the
6:04
difference
between
a
real
tiger
and
a
6:06
story
on
a
small
screen.
It
activates
6:09
the
warning
system
for
everything.
Now,
6:12
here
is
fact
number
two.
6:14
Phone
companies
and
news
apps
know
6:17
exactly
how
your
brain
works.
They
use
6:20
it
against
you.
They
use
it
against
me?
6:23
How?
These
apps
want
you
to
stay
on
your
6:26
phone
for
as
long
as
possible.
The
6:28
longer
you
stay,
the
more
money
they
6:30
make.
So,
they
use
scary
headlines
and
6:34
shocking
pictures.
6:36
They
know
your
brain's
warning
system
6:38
cannot
ignore
danger.
So,
they
put
the
6:41
scariest
story
first
to
catch
my
6:44
attention.
Yes.
And
there
is
a
smart
6:47
computer
system
inside
every
app.
It
is
6:50
called
a
smart
system.
This
smart
system
6:53
watches
everything
you
click
on.
6:56
When
you
click
on
one
sad
story,
it
6:59
immediately
shows
you
10
more
sad
7:01
stories.
It
is
a
circle.
I
click
on
one
7:05
bad
story.
The
smart
system
shows
me
7:07
more.
I
click
again,
and
I
cannot
7:10
escape.
Exactly.
7:13
They
are
using
your
natural
warning
7:15
system
to
trap
you.
7:17
But
now
you
understand
the
trap.
So,
you
7:21
can
escape
it.
Let's
talk
about
7:23
solutions.
Yes,
please.
I
want
to
sleep
7:27
well
again.
What
can
I
do?
Solution
7:30
number
one
is
very
simple.
Log
off
from
7:33
all
apps
1
hour
before
bed.
To
log
off
7:36
means
to
sign
out
and
close
all
your
7:39
apps,
right?
Like
pressing
the
off
7:41
switch
for
your
online
life.
Exactly.
At
7:45
10:00,
you
log
off
from
everything.
No
7:48
more
news.
No
more
social
media.
The
7:52
phone
is
closed
for
the
night.
But
if
I
7:54
just
sit
on
my
bed
with
nothing
to
do,
I
7:57
will
pick
up
the
phone
again
in
2
7:59
minutes.
That
is
why
solution
number
two
8:03
is
so
important.
You
need
a
bedtime
8:05
routine.
A
bedtime
routine?
That
means
8:09
you
do
the
same
calming
activities
every
8:11
night
before
sleep
in
the
same
order.
8:14
Yes.
For
example,
at
10:00,
you
log
off
8:19
from
your
phone.
Then
you
make
a
cup
of
8:22
warm
tea.
8:23
Then
you
read
five
pages
of
a
paper
8:26
book.
Then
you
do
some
slow,
deep
8:29
breathing.
8:30
You
do
this
every
single
night.
After
a
8:33
few
weeks,
my
brain
will
learn,
"Okay,
8:37
she
is
making
tea.
That
means
sleep
is
8:39
coming.
8:40
Time
to
relax."
My
brain
will
8:43
automatically
calm
down.
To
calm
down
8:46
means
to
become
less
worried
and
more
8:48
relaxed
and
peaceful.
8:51
Your
bedtime
routine
is
a
signal
to
your
8:53
brain
to
calm
down
and
prepare
for
8:56
sleep.
I
love
that.
The
routine
trains
8:59
my
brain.
But
Ben,
I
still
have
one
more
9:02
problem.
9:03
Even
with
a
routine,
my
phone
is
sitting
9:06
right
next
to
my
bed.
9:08
When
the
light
is
off
and
I
am
bored,
my
9:10
hand
will
just
grab
it
automatically.
9:13
That
is
the
most
common
problem.
9:15
And
it
is
why
you
need
solution
number
9:17
three.
Move
your
phone
out
of
the
9:20
bedroom
completely.
But
I
use
my
phone
9:23
as
my
alarm
clock
in
the
morning.
The
9:25
simple
answer.
9:27
Buy
a
cheap,
old-fashioned
alarm
clock.
9:30
Put
it
next
to
your
bed.
Charge
your
9:33
phone
in
the
kitchen
or
the
living
room
9:35
overnight.
If
my
phone
is
in
the
9:38
kitchen,
I
need
to
get
out
of
my
warm
9:40
bed
and
walk
across
the
dark
apartment
9:43
just
to
read
some
bad
news.
That
is
way
9:46
too
much
effort.
Exactly.
When
you
make
9:49
the
bad
habit
difficult
and
9:51
inconvenient,
you
will
naturally
choose
9:54
to
just
close
your
eyes
instead.
9:57
And
here
is
the
best
part.
The
news
will
10:00
still
be
there
tomorrow
morning
when
you
10:02
are
awake,
rested,
and
ready
to
read
it
10:05
calmly.
Out
of
sight,
out
of
mind.
10:08
If
the
phone
is
not
next
to
me,
I
will
10:11
forget
about
it
and
sleep.
10:16
So,
let's
quickly
recap
today's
episode.
10:20
Reading
bad
news
on
your
phone
before
10:22
bed
is
called
doomscrolling.
10:25
It
activates
your
brain's
natural
10:27
warning
system,
makes
you
feel
nervous
10:29
and
stressed,
and
completely
breaks
your
10:32
sleep.
Exactly.
To
sleep
better,
log
off
10:36
from
your
apps
1
hour
before
bed,
build
10:39
a
calming
bedtime
routine,
and
move
your
10:41
phone
out
of
your
bedroom.
10:43
Now,
let's
review
five
important
words
10:46
from
today's
talk.
Ben,
what
is
number
10:49
one?
10:50
Number
one
is
doomscrolling.
10:53
This
is
the
bad
habit
of
scrolling
10:55
through
a
lot
of
sad
and
scary
news
on
10:57
your
phone
for
a
long
time,
especially
11:00
right
before
you
sleep.
Number
two
is
11:02
nervous.
This
means
feeling
worried,
a
11:05
little
scared,
and
unable
to
relax.
11:08
Reading
bad
news
at
night
makes
us
feel
11:10
very
nervous.
11:11
Number
three
is
warning
system.
This
is
11:15
the
natural
ability
inside
your
brain
to
11:18
notice
danger
and
alert
your
body.
It
is
11:21
very
old
and
very
powerful.
Number
four
11:24
is
log
off.
This
means
to
close
and
sign
11:28
out
of
your
apps.
11:30
Every
night,
you
should
log
off
1
hour
11:32
before
bedtime.
11:34
And
the
last
one,
number
five,
is
calm
11:37
down.
11:38
This
means
to
become
less
worried
and
11:40
more
relaxed.
11:42
A
good
bedtime
routine
helps
your
brain
11:44
calm
down
and
get
ready
for
sleep.
11:51
That
is
all
for
today's
episode
of
11:52
Everyday
English
Talk.
We
hope
you
11:55
learned
something
new
and
useful
for
11:57
your
health
and
your
sleep.
So,
what
12:00
about
you?
Will
you
log
off
and
move
12:02
your
phone
to
the
kitchen
tonight?
Leave
12:04
a
comment
below
and
let
us
know
your
12:06
plan.
12:08
Thank
you
so
much
for
listening.
12:10
We
will
see
you
in
the
next
episode.
And
12:12
always
remember,
keep
moving,
keep
12:15
smiling.
Goodbye.
Start Shadowing