From Scroll Fatigue to Inspiration
?? Heema S.
Decoding Human Potential | Organisational Neuroscience Consultant | MSc Neuroscience & Psychology King’s College London | SIG-Psychedelics Lead | 17+ Years in Business | Qualified Teacher
#4 Neuroscience Unplugged
Welcome to the fourth edition of Neuroscience Unplugged!
Neuroscience Unplugged is a series here to make complex neuroscience insights practical and jargon-free for everyone’s personal growth journey.
Does social media leave you more stressed than inspired?
You’re not alone.
In today’s edition, you’ll read about a real-life strategy that helped one client turn her draining feed into a daily source of calm, learning, and true connection.
These neuroscience-backed tips can help you find balance and joy in your own scrolling experience.
Does social media leave you feeling drained rather than inspired?
Let me introduce you to Emma, a 32-year-old architect who came to me feeling exactly that way.
She loved the idea of staying connected and informed, but her endless scroll felt more like a trap than a tool – leaving her stressed and unfocused instead of uplifted.
Emma and I worked together using neuroscience-backed strategies to help her turn social media into something completely different: a personalised space for joy, learning, and calm.
With a few intentional tweaks, her feed went from a source of anxiety to one that truly recharges her.
Curious about how these strategies might work for you?
Read on to discover how you, too, can scroll with intention, balance, and enjoyment.
Step 1: Creating a Purposeful Feed for Learning and Curiosity
Emma wanted to be inspired and educated by her feed, not just mindlessly entertained. We discussed the dopamine-driven “reward loop” that often makes social media addictive, and how we could adjust her content to keep dopamine levels balanced. We started by curating her feed – only following accounts that matched her passions in architecture, design, and positive psychology. This way, she received gentle, positive boosts from her feed without the mental exhaustion of the comparison trap.
Our Approach: Follow accounts that spark genuine curiosity.
Your Takeaway: Curate a feed that excites you to learn, rather than just scrolling aimlessly.
Step 2: Mindful Engagement to Boost Connection and Reduce Stress
Social media can be isolating if it’s all passive consumption, so Emma and I focused on mindful engagement. By setting an intention to connect, we could tap into oxytocin – the bonding hormone – which makes online interaction feel more rewarding and social. Emma set a goal to leave a few genuine comments each day, transforming her scroll time into a chance to feel connected and less isolated.
Our Approach: Engage mindfully to create real connections and boost oxytocin.
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Your Takeaway: Leave thoughtful comments or reach out to someone in your network. Mindful engagement reduces loneliness and stress.
Step 3: Adding Calm to the Feed with Serotonin-Boosting Content
Emma wanted a sense of calm while using social media, so we designed her feed to include serotonin-boosting content like nature photography and calming art. We built this into a structured routine, where she’d start and end each scrolling session with these relaxing visuals, allowing her to engage at a slower, more intentional pace.
Our Approach: “Bookend” her scrolling with calming content to make her feed feel grounded and serene.
Your Takeaway: Follow accounts that relax you – whether that’s nature, art, or peaceful scenes – to make your feed a place of calm rather than chaos.
Observing Her Usage Patterns: Tracking the Role of Stress, Loneliness, and Cyclical Changes
After three months, we reviewed Emma’s usage patterns, revealing a fascinating insight: her scrolling increased when she was stressed, procrastinating, or feeling lonely. She also noticed fluctuations in her social media usage aligned with her menstrual cycle. On days when her mood was lower or her stress levels were high, she was more likely to spend extra time scrolling. Recognising these patterns allowed Emma to become more aware of her triggers, helping her see social media as a tool she could turn to intentionally rather than reactively.
Factoring Scrolling into Her Schedule to Avoid FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)
We avoided strict rules about when Emma could scroll – instead, we scheduled time into her day for social media. This gave her permission to scroll without guilt and eliminated her “fear of missing out.” Scheduled scrolling not only reduced her impulse to check her phone constantly, but it also empowered her to stay connected on her own terms.
Our Approach: Factor social media into her day with scheduled times for guilt-free scrolling.
Your Takeaway: When you know you have dedicated time to scroll, you’re less likely to use social media impulsively. This reduces stress and helps you stay in control.
Final Thoughts
Three months later, Emma’s social media experience was transformed. With purposeful curation, mindful engagement, and calming content, her feed became a supportive part of her day rather than a source of anxiety. If social media feels overwhelming or draining, try some of these science-backed strategies to turn it into a space that adds genuine value to your life.
Thank you for reading the fourth edition of Neuroscience Unplugged!
I'm excited to explore more fascinating topics and share practical tips with you in future editions.
Stay tuned and be sure to subscribe to the newsletter to be updated about the next edition, #5, where you'll discover which music beats can help you overcome daily mental blocks.
Using the magnificent power of neuroscience!!
It will be published Wednesday 13th November. ?? Heema Shah
Decoding Human Potential | Organisational Neuroscience Consultant | MSc Neuroscience & Psychology King’s College London | SIG-Psychedelics Lead | 17+ Years in Business | Qualified Teacher
4 个月Subscribe to Neuroscience Unplugged*: https://www.dhirubhai.net/newsletters/7250164000041115648/
Decoding Human Potential | Organisational Neuroscience Consultant | MSc Neuroscience & Psychology King’s College London | SIG-Psychedelics Lead | 17+ Years in Business | Qualified Teacher
4 个月Zhang and Volkow (2023): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02365-x Relevance to Newsletter #4 In our newsletter, we discuss strategies for transforming social media into a positive space during times of lower mood, such as winter months when SAD is more common. This study highlights how social media behavior fluctuates seasonally, often reflecting people’s changing moods. By following the approach shared in Emma’s story—curating joyful, educational, and calming content—we can counterbalance these seasonal mood dips and make social media a tool for support and connection. Instead of reactive scrolling, intentional use of social media can add structure, calm, and inspiration to your daily routine, especially during seasons when mood shifts are more pronounced.
Decoding Human Potential | Organisational Neuroscience Consultant | MSc Neuroscience & Psychology King’s College London | SIG-Psychedelics Lead | 17+ Years in Business | Qualified Teacher
4 个月Zhang and Volkow (2023): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-023-02365-x Lay Summary: Seasonal Shifts in Brain Function and Mental Health This recent study by Zhang and Volkow (2023) explores how changes in sunlight exposure throughout the year impact brain function, especially in individuals with mood disorders like Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). The study found that as sunlight decreases, people with mood-related conditions often engage more on social media, which mirrors their mood shifts during darker months. Reduced light exposure is known to impact brain regions associated with mood regulation, potentially increasing the risk of feeling low or disconnected. The authors observed that people’s online behaviours, such as increased social media scrolling, can be seen as a reflection of their inner mood cycles driven by seasonal changes.
Decoding Human Potential | Organisational Neuroscience Consultant | MSc Neuroscience & Psychology King’s College London | SIG-Psychedelics Lead | 17+ Years in Business | Qualified Teacher
4 个月Steiner, 2019: https://mental.jmir.org/2019/4/e12974/ Relevance to Newsletter #4 In this newsletter, we explore how reshaping our social media habits can positively impact our mental health, especially during the colder months when Seasonal Affective Disorder and low mood symptoms are more common. Just as Emma transformed her social media feed into a calming and educational space, this study underscores the importance of intentionally curating our online experience. By filling our feeds with positive, relaxing, and inspiring content, we can counteract some of the seasonal mood shifts and make social media a source of joy and learning, rather than a trigger for negative emotions.
Decoding Human Potential | Organisational Neuroscience Consultant | MSc Neuroscience & Psychology King’s College London | SIG-Psychedelics Lead | 17+ Years in Business | Qualified Teacher
4 个月Steiner, 2019: https://mental.jmir.org/2019/4/e12974/ Lay Summary: Seasonal Patterns in Social Media and Mental Health This study reveals a fascinating seasonal trend: as temperatures drop and days get shorter, people express more negative emotions on social media. Researchers observed that during the colder months, social media posts increasingly reflect feelings related to stress, sadness, and loneliness. This pattern likely links to Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), a condition where individuals experience mood dips as sunlight decreases. The findings suggest that social media usage—and the mood it reflects—often mirrors our natural, seasonal rhythms.