People who engage in doomscrolling are more likely to also engage in celebrity worship

A recent study published in the International Journal of Psychology has revealed a link between two emerging media-related behaviors: doomscrolling and celebrity worship. Researchers found that university students in both the United States and Iran who frequently engage in doomscrolling—a tendency to scroll through negative social media content—were also more likely to exhibit high levels of celebrity worship, suggesting that these behaviors may co-occur as forms of media-related behavioral addictions. Additionally, both doomscrolling and celebrity worship were associated with negative psychological outcomes, including higher future anxiety and reduced well-being.

The rise of social media has brought with it an increase in media-related behaviors, some of which can develop addictive characteristics. Doomscrolling and celebrity worship are two such behaviors that have emerged with the constant access to digital content. Doomscrolling, which involves persistently viewing negative news on social media, has been linked to future anxiety, depression, and diminished life satisfaction.

Similarly, celebrity worship—the excessive fascination with and admiration for celebrities—has also been associated with anxiety, depression, and a range of other negative psychological states. Given the potential for these behaviors to become addictive and lead to negative outcomes, the researchers aimed to investigate whether there is a relationship between them and whether they share common psychological correlates. Additionally, by comparing samples from the United States and Iran, the study aimed to explore whether cultural factors influence these relationships.

To explore these questions, the researchers recruited university students from the United States and Iran, yielding a sample of 185 students from the University of Central Missouri and 627 students from the University of Guilan. The American sample was predominantly female, while the Iranian sample had a higher proportion of male participants. Both groups completed an online survey that included measures of doomscrolling, celebrity worship, depression, future anxiety, and overall psychological well-being. Data were collected through various social media platforms affiliated with the universities, such as Facebook and Instagram for the American sample and Telegram for the Iranian sample.

The researchers used several scales to assess the behaviors and psychological states of interest. To measure doomscrolling, they used the Social Media Doomscrolling Scale, which includes items like “I have the urge to view more and more negative content on social media.” This scale had previously been validated in an Iranian sample and was tested for its reliability within the American group in this study.

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For celebrity worship, they used the Celebrity Attitude Scale, which gauges individuals’ level of involvement and fascination with celebrities. Participants also completed measures of depression, future anxiety, and psychological well-being to provide a comprehensive view of their mental health. These psychological measures allowed the researchers to examine the associations between doomscrolling, celebrity worship, and mental health indicators in both cultural contexts.

The researchers found that both American and Iranian participants showed a positive correlation between doomscrolling and celebrity worship, indicating that individuals who frequently view negative social media content are also more likely to exhibit excessive admiration for celebrities. This association suggests that doomscrolling and celebrity worship may share underlying psychological drivers, potentially reinforcing each other and intensifying their effects.

In terms of mental health outcomes, doomscrolling was associated with negative consequences for both groups. In the Iranian sample, it correlated with lower psychological well-being and higher levels of depression and future anxiety, while in the American sample, it was linked to lower psychological well-being and future anxiety. These findings align with prior research showing that doomscrolling can negatively impact mental health, likely due to its focus on negative and distressing content that amplifies worry and anxiety about the future.

Celebrity worship also showed similar psychological patterns across the two cultural groups. In the Iranian sample, it was linked to higher depression and future anxiety, while in the American group, it was associated with future anxiety and lower psychological well-being. These results support the theory that celebrity worship, much like doomscrolling, can contribute to mental health challenges, particularly in terms of anxiety and well-being.

The study found that American participants generally scored higher on all measures, including doomscrolling, celebrity worship, depression, and future anxiety, compared to their Iranian counterparts. Interestingly, however, they also reported higher levels of psychological well-being, despite their greater engagement in these behaviors. The researchers suggest that cultural differences may play a role in this disparity. For instance, Western cultures, including the United States, tend to embrace greater emotional expressiveness and resilience, which could help mitigate some of the negative effects associated with these behaviors.

But as with all research, the study has some limitations. The researchers used a convenience sample, which may limit the generalizability of the findings. Additionally, the sample sizes and demographics were not balanced, with significantly more women in the American sample and more men in the Iranian sample. This gender imbalance, along with differences in age, could influence the results, as prior research has shown that younger individuals and women are more likely to report negative emotions and engage in social media-related behaviors. Another limitation is the study’s cross-sectional design, which means it can only show associations between variables, not causation.

To build on these findings, future research could use larger, more diverse samples to confirm whether the relationships observed in this study hold across different populations. Additionally, longitudinal studies that track individuals over time could provide deeper insights into how doomscrolling and celebrity worship might develop into behavioral addictions and how they influence mental health in the long term. Future research could also consider other cultural and sociodemographic factors, such as ethnic background, that might impact these behaviors and their effects on mental health.

The study, “Is doomscrolling related to celebrity worship? A cross-cultural study,” was authored by Lynn E. McCutcheon, Hyeyeon Hwang, Benyamin Mokhtari Chirani, Reza Shabahang, Mara S. Aruguete, and Emma F. Thomas.