Doomscrolling has become a bad habit for many of us, not just Gen Z, but according to new research, it’s actually getting in the way of healthy sex lives.
A new survey of 2,000 Americans by self-growth app RiseGuide found that 39% of Gen Zers choose social media over sex at least sometimes, while 21% do so often. In fact, one in eight Gen Zers believes that scrolling is more pleasurable than sex, while 23% see no difference between the two.
I mean, seeing as both of these trigger a dopamine hit, it’s no surprise that so many people are opting for the “safer” option. According to RiseGuide researchers, this is a phenomenon called “The Great Unwanting: everything intimacy used to provide—excitement, stimulation, validation—[is] now available online for free.”
What Is ‘The Great Unwanting’?
The Great Unwanting describes the growing trend of choosing cheap dopamine (like from doomscrolling) over good dopamine (like from intimacy and connection).
“Multiple studies are pointing to a decline in sexual activity among Gen Z, referred to as a sex recession,” says Jaime Bronstein, LCSW, and resident relationship therapist at Dating.com. “While it’s typically discussed in terms of dating apps, anxiety, or shifting social norms, cheap dopamine from scrolling may be one of the strongest drivers at this time.”
According to the RideGuide survey, 44% of Gen Z report spending six or more hours per day on their phone, 92% sacrifice sleep to scroll, and 20% ignore basic bodily needs to get more screen time. What’s more, a whopping 74% say that doomscrolling is as addictive or more addictive than tobacco or alcohol.
What Is Driving The Great Unwanting?
With doomscrolling being both addictive and easy to lose yourself in, many overwhelmed with life choose the cheap sources of dopamine over the earned types.
“Content is much safer than connection—it doesn’t make you vulnerable to rejection,” says Bronstein.
However, doomscrolling doesn’t just impact sex lives and relationships.
“The Great Unwanting extends beyond sex, reflecting a broader shift toward passive consumption as a primary mode of living,” says Jaimee Campanella, time strategist and productivity consultant at RiseGuide.
“Doomscrolling in particular makes your brain mistake stimulation for rest. It’s like searching for the last piece of information you need to feel settled—but the algorithm is engineered to ensure that piece never arrives. It keeps you just satisfied enough that you never feel truly hungry for everything that matters: intimacy, connection, new experiences, knowledge, meaning.”
How to Overcome the Great Unwanting
With doomscrolling being such a common habit today, it’s difficult to break. Think about it: after a long day of hustling at work, coming home to clean your home and cook dinner with the limited groceries you can barely afford, the last thing you likely want to do is exert more energy or effort. And so, many of us opt for the convenience of screen time.
“You can’t manage it with discipline alone,” Campanella says. “The best place to start is to stop pairing scrolling with other activities—no phone at meals, in bed, or in front of the TV. When scrolling bleeds into everything, nothing gets to fully restore you.”
If you truly want to shake this bad habit, you must be willing to treat rest and presence as something sacred. “Protect your rest like a meeting you can’t reschedule,” Campanella says.
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