Ever wondered why you feel more bored after binge-scrolling through TikTok or skipping YouTube videos? It turns out that all that swiping might be working against you – here's why.
In an age where entertainment is as accessible as ever, it might seem like we’ve cracked the code to escaping boredom. Whether it’s scrolling through TikTok, skipping through YouTube videos, or Instagram, there’s always something new to keep us engaged, right? Well, not so fast. According to a new study, all those masses of short form content that we consume might actually be making you more bored.
Study Reveals Shocking Results About Consuming Short Content
Researchers from the University of Toronto conducted a study involving over 1,200 participants to explore how digital media consumption impacts boredom. Their findings are pretty surprising: while we often switch between videos or fast-forward through content to dodge boredom, this behavior can actually make the feeling worse, and can even lead to depression.
The study found that people naturally tend to switch between videos when they’re bored, thinking that the next clip might be more interesting. But this constant switching doesn’t bring the excitement we’re chasing. Instead, it does the complete opposite... It leaves us feeling more bored, less satisfied, and even less engaged with what we’re watching.
In one experiment, participants who were allowed to switch between videos or skip parts felt more bored than those who were asked to watch a full video without skipping. Even when participants had the freedom to choose what they watched on YouTube, picking videos they were genuinely interested in, the act of skipping through them still left them feeling less entertained.
Why does this happen? The researchers suggest that constantly switching between content disrupts our ability to fully concentrate on what we’re watching. It’s like flipping through channels on TV without ever settling on a show – you never get fully immersed, so nothing really holds your attention. Plus, knowing that there are endless other videos or shows you could be watching makes you feel like you’re missing out, which only adds to the dissatisfaction.
If you find yourself feeling bored more often than you’d like, it might be worth rethinking how you consume digital content. Instead of scrolling through videos or constantly searching for something new, try sticking with one video or show and watching it through.
With that being said, we recommend taking a look at our YouTube channel!
You could also just read a book, honestly...