Brain rot: “Deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state as a result of excessive consumption of material (particularly online content) considered trivial or unchallenging.” The definition was given by the Oxford dictionary which, after the votes of more than 37,000 people, chose this concept as its word of the year. Dictionary experts observed that the term gained relevance in recent times “to express concerns about the impact of excessive consumption of low-quality content on social networks,” the publication says. The frequency of use of the term increased by 230% between 2023 and 2024.
Brain rot is not just a linguistic quirk. In the last 10 years, science has been able to demonstrate that the excessive consumption of junk content on the Internet—sensationalism, conspiracy, emptiness—is modifying our brains, to the point that the word “rotten” may not be such an exaggeration. . Evidence shows that social networks are reducing gray matter, shortening attention span, weakening memory and distorting fundamental cognitive processes, according to the British newspaper Guardian with citations to a large body of academic research from institutions such as Harvard Medical School, the University of Oxford and King’s College London.
One of these investigations was published last year and showed that Internet addiction causes structural changes in the brain, which has a direct impact on the behavior and abilities of an individual. Michoel Moshel, researcher at the School of Psychological Sciences at Macquarie University (Australia) and co-author of the study, explains that compulsive consumption of content on social networks – the famous doomscrolling— “takes advantage of our brain’s natural tendency to seek out novelty, especially when it involves potentially harmful or alarming information, a trait that once helped us survive.”
Moshel points out that with some features, such as ‘infinite scroll’, designed to keep you hooked on your mobile, people, especially young people, can get trapped in a cycle of content consumption for hours. “This can seriously affect attention and executive functions by saturating our focus and altering the way we perceive and react to the world,” says the researcher.
Eduardo Fernández Jiménez, clinical psychologist at the Hospital la Paz in Madrid, explains that the brain activates different neural networks to configure different types of care. And that the problematic use of cell phones and the Internet is generating problems in the so-called sustained attention: “It allows you to concentrate on the same task for a more or less long period of time. It is the one that is linked to the academic learning processes,” he says. The problem, he points out, is that social media users are usually exposed to very changing, variable stimuli (an Instagram notification, a WhatsApp message, a news alert) and with addictive potential. This means that the focus of attention is constantly jumping from one place to another, affecting its own capacity.
The first alert was the email
Some experts have been warning about this issue practically since the beginning of the century, when email became a frequently used tool. In 2005, Guardian headlined: “Emails ‘are a threat to IQ’.” The story went that a team of scientists from the University of London wondered what impact the incessant bombardment of information could have on the brain. After 80 clinical trials, they found that the IQ of participants who used email and mobile phones daily dropped an average of 10 points. The researchers measured that this constant demand for attention had more negative effects than cannabis use.
This was before the arrival of tweets, reels Instagram, TikTok challenges and instant notifications. The current outlook is even less encouraging. Recent research found that internet use and abuse is associated with a decrease in gray matter in the prefrontal regions of the brain. It is the area that is involved in problem solving, emotional regulation, memory and impulse control.
The work of Moshel and his colleagues is along those lines. Their latest study reviewed 27 neuroimaging investigations and found that excessive Internet consumption is related to a reduction in gray matter volume in brain regions involved in reward processing, impulse control and decision making. “These changes reflect patterns observed in substance addictions,” says the scientist, such as methamphetamines and alcohol.
That’s not all. The research also found that “these neuroanatomical changes in adolescents coincide with the interruption of processes such as identity formation and social cognition, critical aspects during this stage of development.” It works almost like a loop, where the most vulnerable can be the most affected. According to the results of a research published in NatureIn November, people with poorer mental health are more likely to browse junk content, which further aggravates their symptoms.
In December, psychologist Carlos Losada suggested to Morning Express some recommendations to avoid falling into the doomscrollingor, in other words, avoid being sucked into the black hole of junk content that algorithms reinforce: recognizing the problem, making an effort to disconnect and do activities that require physical presence, such as meeting friends or playing sports, are some of their suggestions.
Moshel says, “These activities are critical for brain health and overall well-being, helping to balance the potentially harmful effects of prolonged screen use.” It emphasizes that the type of content consumed is a key factor in modulating anatomical changes in the brain. “Focus on both the quality and quantity of screen time. Prioritize educational content that avoids addictive features. “Set clear, age-appropriate limits on daily screen use and encourage regular breaks,” he adds.
