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Nov. 6, 2025—You likely know firsthand that doomscrolling can be a source of stress. However, promising new research suggests that the reverse is also true. A study by the American Psychological Association found that intentionally watching positive media can help you feel more hopeful and less stressed.

The study was inspired by growing interest in "media prescriptions"—brief doses of uplifting content. As stress levels in the United States continue to climb, researchers wanted to see if watching short, online videos could help people relax.

They began by asking over 1,000 U.S. adults of all ages about their stress levels. Then participants were split into five groups, and each group was given one of these media prescriptions for four weeks:

• Inspiring content with an underdog story.
• Comedy videos.
• Guided meditation.
• Content of their own choosing.
• No media consumption instructions (control group).

Each group watched their assigned content for five minutes a day, five days a week and answered questions to track their stress levels.

The results are in

After four weeks, people who watched inspiring media segments and guided meditations both felt significantly more hopeful.

Feeling more hopeful also helped lower stress. Both groups felt less stressed up to 10 days after the experiment, while the groups who watched comedy or chose their own content did not.

These results suggest that while not all media reduces stress, inspirational media does. And it appears to do so on a level equal to meditation. So if meditation's not your thing, a media prescription for inspiring videos might be just what the doctor ordered.

Another interesting finding: Inspiring videos and guided meditations helped people of all ages and genders. But they worked especially well for older adults and for people who began the study with more stress and less confidence.

Remember, what you consume online affects your mental health. Learn more about how your media habits can affect you.

Sources

• American Psychological Association. "Media Versus Meditation: A Comparison of the Stress-Relieving Benefits of Multiple Media Experiences." https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/ppm-ppm0000623.pdf.
• American Psychological Association. "Short Inspirational Videos as Effective as Meditation at Reducing Stress." https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2025/10/short-inspirational-videos-reducing-stress.