A report published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General has validated a common belief among social media users: Mindless scrolling, the report claims, is not actually that satisfying.
Research conducted at the University of Toronto Scarborough revealed that videos are less likely to cure boredom when viewers skip to different points in the playback or cut it off to choose a different clip. “Switching between videos and within video…led not to less boredom but more boredom; it also reduced satisfaction, reduced attention, and lowered meaning,” reads the abstract for the study. “Even when participants had the freedom to watch videos of personal choice and interest on YouTube, digital switching still intensified boredom.”
Katy Tam, the lead author of the research, said that switching videos exacerbates boredom because viewers don’t feel fully engrossed in which clip they’re currently watching. “We feel bored when there’s a gap between how engaged we are and how engaged we want to be,” Tam told The Guardian. “When people keep switching through videos, they become less engaged with the videos and they are looking for something more interesting. This can lead to increased feelings of boredom.”
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The results were more pronounced within certain demographic groups. One part of the research included input from more than 150 undergraduates, most of whom felt more engaged when confined to specific videos. Among participants spread across a wider age range, the effect was less apparent.
Some may take these findings as evidence that endlessly scrolling feeds of short videos — like the ones found on TikTok or Instagram Reels — negatively affect satisfaction and mental health. On those platforms, swiping from one dopamine hit to the next can feel like binging on junk food.
Beyond the platforms themselves, the University of Toronto research has implications for creators as well. Some TikTok users with high follower counts have struggled to convert those viewers into real-world fans. Meanwhile, microinfluencers can build personal brands even if they have just a few thousand followers to their name.
Long story short: If you want to enjoy the time you spend watching videos online, you’re probably going to have to pay attention. I know that may be hard in this day and age, but trust me — it’s for your own good.
