Does mindless scrolling hamper well-being? Combining
ESM and log-data to examine the link between mindless
scrolling, goal conflict, guilt, and daily well-being

Does mindless scrolling hamper well-being? Combining
ESM and log-data to examine the link between mindless
scrolling, goal conflict, guilt, and daily well-being

social media, mindless scrolling, behavioral data, guilt, goal conflict.

This manuscript presents findings from a preregistered mixed-method study involving 67,762 ecological momentary assessments and behav-
ioral smartphone observations from 1,315 adults. The study investigates (a) momentary associations between mindless scrolling, goal conflict,

and guilt over smartphone use, and (b) whether guilt experiences during the day culminate into lower well-being. Results indicate that individu-
als experienced more guilt over their smartphone use when they had mindlessly scrolled for a longer period and that experienced goal conflict

partially mediated this relationship. Daily analyses revealed that mindless scrolling was also associated with small negative changes in well-
being, and this relationship was partially mediated by guilt experienced over the same day. Individuals with less self-control were more prone to

experiencing goal conflict after mindlessly scrolling. These findings indicate that although mindless scrolling may seem a relatively harmless me-
dia behavior, it may have both momentary and downstream negative implications for well-being.

David de Segovia Vicente 1,�, Kyle Van Gaeveren 1

, Stephen L. Murphy 1
,

Mariek M. P. Vanden Abeele

https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmad056

14 December 2023

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