# Procrastination and online social anxiety: the mediating role of cognitive overload and the moderating influence of mindfulness

## TL;DR

The study explores how procrastination increases online social anxiety through cognitive overload, and how mindfulness can reduce this effect.

## Contribution

The novel contribution is identifying cognitive overload as a mediator and mindfulness as a moderator in the procrastination-anxiety relationship in digital contexts.

## Key findings

- Procrastination is positively associated with online social anxiety, partially mediated by cognitive overload.
- Mindfulness moderates the relationship between procrastination and cognitive overload, as well as procrastination and anxiety.
- Higher mindfulness reduces the negative impact of procrastination on digital wellbeing.

## Abstract

In an era of ubiquitous digital communication, online social anxiety has become an increasingly salient issue in the context of digital wellbeing. While procrastination is a known risk factor for psychological distress, the cognitive pathways linking it to online anxiety—and the protective factors that might mitigate these associations—remain poorly understood. Drawing on Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study examines a theorized “depletion–overload–anxiety” pathway by testing whether cognitive overload mediates the association between procrastination and online social anxiety, and whether mindfulness buffers this process. A cross-sectional survey of 580 adults measured procrastination in online social contexts, cognitive overload, online social anxiety, and trait mindfulness. The results showed a significant positive association between procrastination and online social anxiety, which was partially mediated by cognitive overload. Mindfulness functioned as a protective resource, moderating both the link between procrastination and cognitive overload and the direct association with anxiety; specifically, higher mindfulness attenuated the adverse associations of procrastination with both overload and anxiety. These findings suggest that procrastination may be related to elevated online social anxiety partly through increased cognitive overload, whereas mindfulness may buffer this association by supporting more adaptive attentional regulation. By framing procrastination-related strain in digital communication as a digital wellbeing issue, the study speaks to public digital health efforts aimed at reducing technology-related stress and improving psychological functioning in everyday online interaction. Given the cross-sectional design, the findings should be interpreted as patterns of association consistent with the proposed model rather than causal effects. Accordingly, digital wellbeing initiatives may consider incorporating mindfulness-based strategies to help reduce the psychological strain associated with procrastination in digital communication settings.