What Is Brain Rot?

Photo Credit: Moment/Getty ImagesSOURCES:Gary Small, MD, chair of psychiatry, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, New Jersey; author, The Memory Bible.Daniel Schacter, PhD, professor of psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts.Oxford University Press: ” ‘Brain rot’ named Oxford Word of the Year 2024.”Brain Sciences: “Demystifying the New Dilemma of Brain Rot in the Digital Era: A Review.”SOAX: “How Many People Use Social Media in 2024.”Nationwide Children’s Hospital: “Doom Scrolling and Brain Rot.” Cambridge University Press: “Media, Technology, and the Sins of Memory.”Applied Research Quality of Life: “Doom Scrolling Scale: Its Association with Personality Traits, Psychological Distress, Social Media Use, and Wellbeing.”American Psychiatric Association: “6 Tips to Help Take Control of Your Social Media Use and Improve Well Being.”Neural Plasticity: “Brief Mindfulness Meditation Induces Gray Matter Changes in a Brain Hub.” Scientific Reports: “Physical Fitness is Related to Concentration Performance in Adolescents.”CDC: “Adult Activity: An Overview.”International Psychogeriatrics: “Reading Activity Prevents Long-Term Decline in Cognitive Function in Older People: Evidence From a 14-Year Longitudinal Study.”Annals of Medicine and Surgery: “Digital Multitasking and Hyperactivity: Unveiling the Hidden Costs to Brain Health.”Frontiers in Communication: “Social Media, Social Support, and Mental Health of Young Adults During COVID-19.”International Journal of Environmental Research & Public Health: “Associations Between Nature Exposure and Health: A Review of the Evidence,” “Fear of Missing Out, Mental Wellbeing, and Social Connectedness: A Seven-Day Social Media Abstinence Trial.”International Journal of Mental Health & Addiction: “Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Neurodevelopment, Learning, Memory, Mental Health, and Neurodegeneration: a Scoping Review.”Journal of Integrative Neuroscience: “Digital Dementia in the Internet Generation: Excessive Screen Time During Brain Development Will Increase the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias in Adulthood.”Computers in Human Behavior: “Five Days at Outdoor Education Camp Without Screens Improves Preteen Skills with Nonverbal Emotion Cues.”