Doomscrolling vs. Dumbbells: How Exercise Can Save Your Brain from the Internet’s Death Grip
Friday, February 7, 2025.
Somewhere in China, a college student is doing push-ups instead of doomscrolling. This is progress.
According to a new study published in Addictive Behaviors, exercise—yes, good old-fashioned moving your body until it hurts—actually reduces Internet addiction among Chinese college students.
Not only does it pry their eyeballs away from their screens, but it also alleviates anxiety, loneliness, stress, feelings of inadequacy, fatigue, and depression.
In other words, exercise may be the only thing standing between them and total existential collapse.
The World is a Glowing Rectangle
Once upon a time, humanity roamed the earth, hunting, gathering, and occasionally making eye contact.
Then, the Internet happened. Now, human beings spend their days refreshing their inboxes, watching cat videos, and purchasing obscure kitchen gadgets they will never use.
The Internet, in all its seductive glory, has turned life into an infinite scroll.
But as with all good things, there’s a dark side.
Internet addiction, a term that used to sound as serious as being allergic to air, is now a recognized disorder.
It manifests as an uncontrollable urge to stay online—whether that’s gaming, social media lurking, or accumulating browser tabs like they’re rare collectibles.
This addiction wrecks sleep, relationships, and mental health, all in the name of one more dopamine hit.
Enter: The Dreaded Exercise
Dr. Yan Yan and his colleagues had a wild idea: What if, instead of watching TikTok tutorials on how to be happy, students just moved? They set out to study whether structured exercise could rescue young minds from the abyss of the Internet.
Their method? A deep dive into scientific databases, filtering through 3,102 research papers until they found 14 studies that fit their criteria.
Altogether, these studies analyzed 760 Chinese students with confirmed cases of Internet addiction.
The intervention? Physical activity. The control group? People who presumably continued clicking and scrolling, unaware that their digital habits were under surveillance.
Open Skills, Closed Skills, and the Great Escape
The research divided exercise into three categories: open motor skills, closed motor skills, and a mix of both.
Open Motor Skills: These involve unpredictable movement—think soccer, basketball, or anything requiring coordination and the ability to avoid being hit in the face.
Closed Motor Skills: These involve repetitive movements in stable conditions—like swimming, running, or lifting things and putting them back down again.
Combo Platter: A mix of the two, presumably for those who can’t decide whether they prefer getting hit in the face or methodically suffering on a treadmill.
The exercise programs lasted between 4 and 18 weeks, with participants sweating it out 2 to 5 times per week for 50 to 120 minutes per session. Meanwhile, the control group carried on with their lives, blissfully unaware that they were losing the battle against their smartphones.
The Results: Surprise! Movement is Good for You
Lo and behold, the results confirmed what every gym teacher in history has tried to tell us: Exercise makes you feel better.
Participants who engaged in physical activity saw a significant reduction in Internet addiction symptoms. They also experienced less anxiety, loneliness, stress, and existential dread. Even fatigue and depressive symptoms took a hit—though not as dramatically.
“This current review demonstrated that exercise-based interventions can effectively reduce the level of Internet addiction and improve the psychological symptoms of college students,” the researchers stated.
Translation: If your kid is glued to their screen 24/7, maybe it’s time to introduce them to the wonders of running, swimming, or a casual game of basketball (preferably one where they don’t get concussed).
One Catch: It’s All Based in China
While this study offers hope for the Internet-afflicted masses, it does have its limitations.
All of the studies were conducted in China, which means the results might not translate perfectly to other cultures.
Perhaps in the U.S., where people’s sneakers collect more dust than their keyboards, the findings might look a little different.
And let’s not forget that each study varied in its methodology, meaning that while exercise is a promising intervention, it’s not a guaranteed cure-all.
Still, if you’ve ever wondered whether your compulsive need to check notifications could be reduced by a little cardio, science has delivered its verdict.
So, the next time you find yourself spiraling down an Internet rabbit hole at 2 AM, consider standing up, stretching, and maybe even going for a run.
Who knows? You might just outrun your addiction.
Be Well, Stay Kind, and Godspeed.
REFERENCES:
Yan, Y., Qin, X., Liu, L., Zhang, W., & Li, B. (2024). Effects of exercise interventions on Internet addiction among college students: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Addictive Behaviors.