From Plato to TikTok: the anxiety about technology rotting our minds is older than you think, and the science is considerably more nuanced than the headlines suggest.
This article came through at the point when I am 2 weeks into full abstinence from social media so this is a very interesting read for me, thank you. Not completely motivational for my abstinence journey though 😅
Thank you very much for this comprehensive and excellent overview of the current state of this issue.
I strongly agree that the key to the ultimate effect of scrolling on the brain lies in its enormous plasticity. Specifically, I believe that the ultimate effect of “screen addiction” will depend on something we do not yet know: the type of tasks and functions people will have to perform in their lives and at work once AI is being used to its full potential. Will humans be limited to performing simple, mechanical tasks, or will they create “superior” products based on what AI does? Will we devote ourselves to art, human relationships, and science in their most sublime forms? Will we vegetate because we won’t have to work? Whatever happens will shape human brains.
Thank you for this fascinating perspective. The question you're raising is one the research hasn't begun to touch yet. Whether human cognition adapts toward complexity or retreats toward passivity may ultimately depend less on screens themselves and more on what society asks of human minds once AI does all the heavy lifting.
Great article! Points to the limitations to correlational research and the need for longitudinal research that considers the whole person, so as to to study psychoneurosocial dynamics. But, not cost effective for researchers, so fat chance of that happening much. Did some online reading on neurological "rewiring" a while ago. Outcome: Ended up getting advertisments to have my house rewired .
Loving the trailer! I would gladly watch that with a sense of nostalgia. For actual brain rot though we have to venture deep into the dark side of YouTube as I call it. Or basically anything on TikTok 😉 which I can proudly say I was never part of. Awareness is key. Once again serving as a true anchor, observing and assessing our habits and triggers because sometimes our brains need a break from the deep thinking.
I read somewhere that ai bots trained on brain rot like content also exhibited signs of cognitive decline.
People choosing brain rot on purpose as a form of non conformity. An interesting point. It's like you want to unplug and watch the same mindless sitcom on streaming services. I actually find short clips of low value anxiety inducing. Although I can relate with endless scrolling on LinkedIn or substack just visually consuming without actually engaging mentally as a form of distraction.
The sitcom parallel is a great one. That point comes out in the research, that mindless leisure as a counterweight to productivity pressure is nothing new. We just have a more infinite version of it now.
As a 13 year old Gen Xer in the UK in 1982, I along with everybody my age was obsessed with The Young Ones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82lma3LV-Fc - nearly every boomer at the time would have said it was brain rot.
Your experience of short clips being anxiety inducing rather than relaxing is an important observation. The decompression function clearly isn't universal.
The LinkedIn and Substack observation is astute too. The mode of consumption matters as much as the content itself, regardless of how intellectually rich the platform is.
This article came through at the point when I am 2 weeks into full abstinence from social media so this is a very interesting read for me, thank you. Not completely motivational for my abstinence journey though 😅
Oops, sorry about that 😅 Two weeks is impressive! Would love to know how it's going.
Thank you very much for this comprehensive and excellent overview of the current state of this issue.
I strongly agree that the key to the ultimate effect of scrolling on the brain lies in its enormous plasticity. Specifically, I believe that the ultimate effect of “screen addiction” will depend on something we do not yet know: the type of tasks and functions people will have to perform in their lives and at work once AI is being used to its full potential. Will humans be limited to performing simple, mechanical tasks, or will they create “superior” products based on what AI does? Will we devote ourselves to art, human relationships, and science in their most sublime forms? Will we vegetate because we won’t have to work? Whatever happens will shape human brains.
Thank you for this fascinating perspective. The question you're raising is one the research hasn't begun to touch yet. Whether human cognition adapts toward complexity or retreats toward passivity may ultimately depend less on screens themselves and more on what society asks of human minds once AI does all the heavy lifting.
Great article! Points to the limitations to correlational research and the need for longitudinal research that considers the whole person, so as to to study psychoneurosocial dynamics. But, not cost effective for researchers, so fat chance of that happening much. Did some online reading on neurological "rewiring" a while ago. Outcome: Ended up getting advertisments to have my house rewired .
Thank you! Glad those points came through. The house rewiring outcome made me laugh out loud. 😂
Loving the trailer! I would gladly watch that with a sense of nostalgia. For actual brain rot though we have to venture deep into the dark side of YouTube as I call it. Or basically anything on TikTok 😉 which I can proudly say I was never part of. Awareness is key. Once again serving as a true anchor, observing and assessing our habits and triggers because sometimes our brains need a break from the deep thinking.
I read somewhere that ai bots trained on brain rot like content also exhibited signs of cognitive decline.
That's my weekend reading sorted!
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2510.13928
People choosing brain rot on purpose as a form of non conformity. An interesting point. It's like you want to unplug and watch the same mindless sitcom on streaming services. I actually find short clips of low value anxiety inducing. Although I can relate with endless scrolling on LinkedIn or substack just visually consuming without actually engaging mentally as a form of distraction.
The sitcom parallel is a great one. That point comes out in the research, that mindless leisure as a counterweight to productivity pressure is nothing new. We just have a more infinite version of it now.
As a 13 year old Gen Xer in the UK in 1982, I along with everybody my age was obsessed with The Young Ones - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82lma3LV-Fc - nearly every boomer at the time would have said it was brain rot.
Your experience of short clips being anxiety inducing rather than relaxing is an important observation. The decompression function clearly isn't universal.
The LinkedIn and Substack observation is astute too. The mode of consumption matters as much as the content itself, regardless of how intellectually rich the platform is.
This is a beautiful piece. How I wish every Gen Z sees this.