You probably promised yourself to take a break from your phone this summer, telling yourself you would unplug and get a detox. But I’m sure you, like the vast majority of us, spent more time than you’d like to admit glued to your screen as you scrolled through the endless cycle of influencer drama, product recommendations and controversies. This habit is part of a larger phenomenon called parasocial attachment. 

Parasocial relationships refer to the one-sided bonds we form with influencers and other online personalities. It’s not a bad habit, but something your brain is programmed to do. Everyone with a device can be susceptible to having parasocial relationships. It’s no coincidence that with the rise of social media in recent years, mental health diagnoses are increasing by nearly 40% in the US. 

Our social media feed is curated to keep us scrolling, buying and comparing ourselves. Parasocial relationships thrive on our need, as human beings, to connect with others. Every new aesthetic or “you need this” post pressures us to fit into a certain mold. Paired with the constant pressure to keep up with new trends, we become more invested in influencers’ lives than our own. 

There was a significant increase in parasocial relationships during the pandemic, when people were isolated at home and craved companionship. As a result, influencers began to curate their feed to be more “relatable” with the rise of “GRWMS” or “day-in-the-life” vlogs. This shift fueled the rise of influencers in recent years. 

“I usually spend around 2 hours on social media and I see all kinds of trends. I’ve followed trends that revolve around aesthetics, nothing specific though,” sophomore Uma Saighal said. 

On a psychological level, this can be extremely powerful. With each swipe, your brain releases a wave of cortisol; a steroid hormone also referred to as the “stress hormone,” crucial in our bodies’ cycle. Having an overexposure to high cortisol levels can lead to chronic stress, anxiety, and even fatigue. The release of cortisol goes hand in hand with influencing dopamine levels to give us a rush of adrenaline every time we scroll. This high we get from being in the know of a trend is fleeting, leaving us craving more. As a result, our brain constantly craves more constant connection and stimulation, making us dependent on the lives of people who don’t actually know us.

What was once a survival mechanism for avoiding life and death encounters now keeps us awake at night, consumed by the latest fleeting fashion trend or internet meltdown. Instead of feeling informed, every headline, upsetting post or tragedy leaves us feeling burnt out and anxious. 

“Humans have evolved to thrive in groups, probably because 250,000 years ago you needed to rely on other people to survive by building social relationships,” Arthur Brooks said to Harvard Health. “And so we become attracted to and care about people if we have regular enough exposure to them.”

Making it worse is how personal some of that content feels. Thanks to parasocial relationships, or one-sided emotional connections we form with influencers or celebrities, we get emotionally attached to people we’ve never really met. So, when they go through that inevitable scandal, breakup or mental breakdown, it can hit harder than actual news. 

So how do you stop? The answer isn’t deleting everything and going off the grid like some of you may think. The solution can be as simple as putting your phone down and staring at a blank wall for a few minutes. Doing this resets your brain and lowers your dopamine levels. 

However, if watching paint dry is not your preferred method to detox, psychologists also recommend setting time limits on your devices. This is one of the first steps in the process of reclaiming your feed, limiting your exposure to negative. Remember to be intentional about the media you consume; unfollowing accounts that fuel your stress may uplift your mood significantly. Set realistic goals for yourself and find time to indulge in other meaningful activities such as journaling or hanging out with family. 

“I do doomscroll but I try to get myself off it and do something productive,” freshman Kensie Haines said. “My advice to people who want to stop doomscrolling is to try to learn new things because a lot of the time I find myself bored and instead of doomscrolling I can go try to learn something.” 

With the start of a new school year, there is a need to recharge rather than emotionally drain yourself for the sake of keeping up with your favorite influencer. This is the time to reclaim your mind and stop the never-ending cycle.