Doom Loop
A self-reinforcing cycle in which one negative action, feeling, or system creates conditions that make the problem continue or worsen.
“Bad sleep led to caffeine, anxiety, and even worse sleep—a doom loop.”
The term applies to personal habits, economics, technology, politics, and online recommendation patterns.
Doom loop existed in policy and business writing before spreading into everyday internet language for destructive feedback cycles.
negative feedback loop
A cycle that worsens the original problem.
spiral
A common shorter metaphor.
Is a doom loop the same as doomscrolling?
No. Doomscrolling can be one behavior inside a broader doom loop.
How do you break one?
Interrupting one link in the cycle can stop the feedback pattern.