Why doomscroll when it brings so little joy?
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This email is being sent to all University of Sussex staff
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Wednesday 4 February 2026
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Habit vs happiness: why doomscrolling delivers the least joy |
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New Sussex-led research suggests it is time to stop doomscrolling and swap it for activities that actually bring us joy.
In a survey of 2,182 people, scrolling on social media was one of the most common leisure activities, yet rated the least enjoyable out of 21 pursuits – revealing a gap between habit and happiness. |
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Professor Robin Banerjee, who led the research, said: “The study provides compelling evidence that the key to psychological fulfilment lies in being more intentional with our leisure time.”
So what brings the biggest lift? Listening to music topped the list for joy (6.16 out of 7), followed by playing a musical instrument (6.04) and reading (6.00). Cooking, gardening and crafting scored highly, as did volunteering – activities many of us do less often, but find deeply satisfying.
The study found that joy was most strongly linked to ‘intrinsic’ motivations – doing something for fulfilment, growth or immersion – rather than external validation. Talking with others about your interests was also associated with higher wellbeing, greater trust, and fewer mental health difficulties. At a time when there is growing debate about young people’s relationship with social media, this research underlines the importance of engaging in activities that support genuine joy and benefit their mental health and wellbeing. |
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Sussex research helps shape food policy
– and inspires film and video game |
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A major UKRI-funded project, led in part by the University of Sussex, has begun to influence local food policy while engaging the public through an innovative new video game.
Dr Katerina Psarikidou is the Policy Lead and Co-Investigator on the UK-wide £6 million FoodSEqual project. |
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Dr Psarikidou has been working with communities in Brighton and Reading to co-produce healthier, more sustainable food systems for disadvantaged groups. The project has also developed innovative public engagement tools such as Foodtopia, a video game that introduces players to research findings and invites them to consider choices around food policies – such as limiting the number of take-away licences near schools and youth centres, and subsidising supermarket offers on fruit and vegetables.
The game sits alongside policy briefs, a policy evaluation report and FoodSEqual Policy Film charting the project’s work. FoodSEqual’s collaboration with the Brighton & Hove Food Partnership and Brighton & Hove City Council has contributed to the ban on junk food advertising on bus stops in Brighton & Hove.
Dr Psarikidou says: “It is fantastic to see the impact of this work coming through. Co-producing policies for and with communities experiencing food inequalities is key for transforming the UK's food system in more sustainable and healthy directions for all.”
Share your views on a better food future in the FoodSEqual policy survey. |
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Comment: Can ‘human specific’ technologies replace the use of animals in life sciences research? |
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By Lucy Unwin
Ethical concerns, scientific limitations and practical challenges have continuously driven debate about the use of animals in scientific research.
But, from lab-grown organoids (small, stem-cell-grown models of different organ parts) to AI-driven models, emerging technologies could reshape how scientists and policymakers think about when, and whether, animals can be replaced in science. |
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During my recent internship at the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST), I co-authored a parliamentary briefing examining technology alternatives to animal research.
The briefing, which I wrote with Dr Clare Lally, explores the opportunities, risks, and barriers to the wider adoption of technology alternatives in the UK. It has been praised by MPs and select committees for its ability to distil key evidence on a contentious and divisive topic. POST works to ensure cutting-edge research evidence is available to the UK Parliament, producing impartial briefings on emerging or complex science topics. During the research process, I held consultations with experts across academia, industry, government and the third sector.
The briefing outlines that ‘human-specific’ technologies, including organoids, organs-on-a-chip (small plastic chips that replicate parts of different organs), tissue slices, and artificial intelligence, can sometimes produce data that is more directly relevant to human health than traditional animal models.
These technologies are already used in specific research areas, such as predicting liver toxicity or studying rare genetic diseases. Investment in the technology alternatives sector is growing fast: the UK market could reach £2.5 billion by 2026, with global markets projected at $29.4 billion by 2030.
But many of these alternatives cannot yet capture complex processes like ageing, behaviour or whole-body interactions, and still need further development before they could fully replace animal studies.
Neither animal models nor alternative technologies perfectly replicate human biology, and we conclude that different research questions may require different approaches.
Lucy Unwin is a PhD researcher in Ecology & Evolution at the University of Sussex. |
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The Habit vs Happiness study (as featured above), on how leisure activities affect wellbeing, received widespread national media coverage in The Times, The Independent, HuffPost UK and others.
Scientific American explored whether consciousness could exist without a body or external world, drawing on hemispherotomy cases. Professor Anil Seth commented in the piece, questioning whether interaction with the outside world is necessary for consciousness “in a deeper way”.
Professor Seth also spoke to Sky News following trials of Neuralink – a new brain chip designed to help people with severe paralysis. He discussed the moral dilemma of this fast developing technology.
The Guardian and other outlets, featured research that discussed post-pandemic ‘new norms’. Professor John Drury highlighted that people’s attitudes around public activities such as going for drinks and attending music and sports events have changed since the pandemic. |
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