TBT: Doomscrolling is slowly eroding your mental health

PLUS: The best WIRED stories from this month a year ago.

View this email in your browser  |  Manage newsletter subscriptions 06.24.21 It's 11:37 pm and you're scrolling through social media in a desperate search for clarity. At 1:12 am, it's more of the same. Thumb down, thumb up. Twitter, Instagram, and—if you're feeling particularly wrought/masochistic—Facebook. Sound familiar? This is called doomscrolling, and while it's a natural response to these trying times, it might be contributing to burnout and fatigue. Read about the science of doomscrolling, plus more of the best WIRED stories from this month a year ago, below.   Doomscrolling Is Slowly Eroding Your Mental Health Checking your phone for an extra two hours every night won't stop the apocalypse—but it could stop you from being psychologically prepared for it. The Best Stories From This Month, Last Year My Friend Was Struck by ALS. To Fight Back, He Built a Movement At 37, Brian Wallach was diagnosed with the fatal disease. So he tapped a lifetime of connections to give help and hope to fellow sufferers—while grappling with his own mortality. What Apple's Silicon Chips Suggest About Its Future Plus: A grand philosophical theory of products, why the internet isn't considered a utility, and reports of darker skies ahead. The Pentagon's Hand-Me-Downs Helped Militarize Police. Here's How Over several decades, the 1033 program has shipped over $7.4 billion of Defense Department property to more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies. Why the Arctic Is Warming So Fast, and Why That's So Alarming When permafrost thaws, sea ice disappears, and wildfires rage in the north, the consequences extend to the rest of the world. Poker and the Psychology of Uncertainty The game has plenty to teach about making decisions with the cards we've been dealt—on and off the table. Stuck at Home, Scientists Discover 9 New Insect Species Without a DNA sequencer, two Los Angeles entomologists relied on two of biology's oldest tools: microscopes and lots of free time. GET WIRED Stare the future right in the eye. Get 1 year of unlimited access to WIRED for less than $1 per month. Plus, get a free tote! Subscribe now.     This e-mail was sent to you by WIRED. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, wired@newsletters.wired.com, to your address book.   View our Privacy Policy Unsubscribe or manage your newsletter subscriptions   Copyright © Condé Nast 2021. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.