I'm Sam.
And I'm Neil.
Have you heard the expression doomscrolling, Neil?
It's when people spend a lot of time reading, or 'scrolling',
a mobile phone or computer screen in order to read negative news stories –
stories full of doom.
I hate to admit it,
but I do sometimes doomscroll.
Well don't feel too bad, Neil,
because you're not alone.
Research from the University of California found
that people all over the world doomscroll, regardless of culture.
What's more,
there may even be evolutionary reasons why we're attracted to bad news.
In this programme,
we'll be investigating why we feel compelled to look at,
and even seek out, bad news.
And, as usual, we'll be learning some new vocabulary, as well.
But before that I have a question for you, Neil.
Doomscrolling is a very modern idea