What is Brain Rot and How Can you Prevent it?
Four takeaways:
While we all enjoy a bit of phone time now and then, the uncontrolled compulsion to be on one’s phone can be so intense that it messes with our focus and our cognitive health. This is considered “Brain Rot.”
Oxford defines brain rot as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material — now particularly online content — considered to be trivial or unchallenging.” The term is used to describe both the mind-numbing content found on social media and the internet, as well as the subsequent negative impact this can have on our brain health.
Unfortunately, phones and devices are only going to become more addictive. Popular hardware and the apps housed on them are designed to capture and keep your attention for as long as possible. If not understood and controlled, phone use can easily become a compulsion.
The symptoms of “brain rot” include affected concentration, frequent disorientation, difficulty making and retaining new memories (especially of recent events), changes in personality and sociability, and sustained shifts in mood, reasoning, and decision-making abilities. Though it affects adults, children and teens are most at risk because developing brain rot from excessive screen time at an early age while the brain is still developing can lead to a lifetime of poorer cognitive and behavioral health.
Luckily, there are some very useful and accessible techniques for combating brain rot that do not include simply throwing your phone or device into the nearest body of water. They are:
- Setting screen time boundaries: There are a number of tools for limiting screen time, such as screen trackers, time limits, and app restrictions.
- Replacing digital habits with real-life activities: meditation, physical exercise, reading, socializing in person, learning new skills, or spending time in nature will all help replace the impulse to pick up the phone and scroll.
- Take mindful breaks from screens: Avoid screens when you wake up or before you go to bed. During the day it can be tough to avoid screens in the workplace, but try printing readable materials or holding in person meetings where possible.
- Cut down on multitasking: Using multiple screens at once, or other forms of multitasking can reduce cognitive overload and improve efficiency.
Brain rot is not a terminal disease. With a few mindful shifts, we can take back control of our attention, sharpen our thinking, and reconnect with the world beyond the screen.
From Lisa Rapaport for Everyday Health
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