You love brain rot. Here’s why. | Marvin Liyanage

This is part 1 in a 3 part series on the neuroscience of brain rot — silly nonsense videos that are changing our brains through our phones. As someone who makes short-form video content I'm fascinated by why silly AI slop and brain rot videos get millions of views. I also have questions about the impact of social media and how we can use it for learning rather than for doomscrolling. I went down a rabbit-hole and found something somewhat surprising. There's no proof that dumb videos make us dumber... they're mostly being used as a distraction from anxiety, tiredness, and boredom. But they are potentially fracturing our attention, and they are definitely building unhealthy addictions.

What can we do about it? Understand that brain rot content is essentially a drug. The world's most available drug, that everyone can access "for free" in their pocket. That awareness and respect for this type of content can help change individual habits. Once you recognize that watching silly content on your phone is like taking drugs to self medicate and regulate your mood, you can address the underlying issues — anxiety, exhaustion, and addiction — by getting better sleep, exercising, eating healthier, doing therapy, etc.