Brain rot is a relatively new term that has taken the internet by storm, but what does it really mean, and is it detrimental to our mental health?
What is brain rot?
Brain rot typically refers to the overconsumption of shortform content that is uninformative and serves no real purpose.聽
It is not a diagnosable medical term or condition, but the term has gained an overwhelming amount of traction over the past couple of years due to shortform content apps such as TikTok, even gaining the title for 2024.
It is defined as 鈥渢he supposed deterioration of a person鈥檚 mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging鈥�.
It is a lack of mental stimulation (not reading, thinking critically, or being creative).
Is brain rot bad?
When we talk about brain rot, it鈥檚 typically used with negative connotations. The overconsumption of any form of media can be harmful, but the issue with brain rot is that it鈥檚 not educational or informative content. It exists simply to distract and pass time without being enriching or teaching anything.
It鈥檚 easy to lose track of time when you are scrolling on apps like TikTok; content is easy to consume and videos tend to be under a minute long, and with brain rot, some can be just a few seconds long.
Brain rot could be affecting our intelligence as well. Consuming content that has no educational value over a prolonged period of time
It can affect concentration levels, meaning you might find it harder to concentrate on enriching longform content, for example, books.
Although, it could be argued that brain rot is harmless and simply acts as a form of decompression and recreational activity.
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Why do we 鈥渄oomscroll鈥�?
It鈥檚 easy to pick up your phone and scroll endlessly for several reasons.
The act of scrolling itself gives us little dopamine hits. It鈥檚 the same reward loop as gambling, to an extent: 鈥渕aybe the next scroll will give me something useful鈥�.
Particularly with large political issues, it鈥檚 easy to be anxious and want to seek information. Doomscrolling lets us access information (whether it鈥檚 accurate information or not) at the swipe of a screen, which often gives us more uncertainty and anxiety than before. Staying constantly updated can feel like you鈥檙e 鈥渄oing something鈥� about the world鈥檚 problems, even if it just leaves you feeling bad.
Tips to combat brain rot
If you鈥檙e feeling yourself stuck in the rut of doomscrolling and unable to put your phone down, here are some tips to help you break the cycle:
1. Do a 24-hour "mental reset"
- Avoid: TikTok, endless YouTube Shorts, doomscrolling, passive binge-watching.
- Instead: Replace that time with something just a bit more engaging 鈥� even if it's just watching a documentary, listening to a podcast, or reading an article.
2. Go on a聽dopamine fast lite
- Pick one hour per day (or more) where you:
- Turn off notifications
- Put your phone in another room
- Don鈥檛 consume anything digital, just go analogue (write, stretch, walk, reflect)
聽3.聽Start a "no-excuse" reading habit
- Goal: 5鈥�10 pages a day. Doesn鈥檛 matter what 鈥� fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels.
- Audiobooks count, too.
4. Move your body
- Physical movement stimulates mental clarity.
- Just 15 minutes of walking, stretching, or dancing around your room counts.
5. Rewire with聽low-stress brain work
- Do simple puzzles such as Sudoku, crosswords, Wordle, chess puzzles or logic games.