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Your brain wasn't built to hold this much information | Richard Cytowic

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February 16, 2026

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Up next, The terrifying ways that social media is altering teenage brains | Clare MorellFull Interview ►

Your brain isn’t broken, but it may seem like that because of how the screen age overwhelms your biology.

Neurologist Richard Cytowic argues that attention is a finite energy budget, not a virtue, and modern life is engineered to exhaust it.

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About Richard Cytowic:

Richard Cytowic is Professor of Neurology at George Washington University. His books include Synesthesia, The Man Who Tasted Shapes, The Neurological Side of Neuropsychology, and Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age.

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Clare Morell Full InterviewNeurologist Richard CytowicGo DeeperBig Think BecomeYoutube BecomeBig Think ClassSubstack GetGeorge Washington University His

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Your brain wasn't built to hold this much information | Richard Cytowic · Big Think · Sentinel