The main word of 2024, the compilers of the Oxford dictionary chose the expression of Brain Rot, which in Russian means “rotting of the brain.” We are talking about thoughtless consumption of Internet content, scrolling social networks and non-stop viewing of videos, designed for a non-lifting taste.
The authors of the term Brain Rot suggested that such immersion in Internet reality has a negative effect on the human psyche and his brain. Recent studies of scientists show that their fears are more than justified.
The structure of the brain is changing
Psychologists have long noticed that watching videos that do not carry any semantic load causes dependence-an intrusive, poorly controlled desire to watch them more and more. And this is harmful to the cognitive (cognitive, mental) abilities and psychological health of a person, especially if he is only a child or a teenager.
The thoughtless consumption of low -quality videos (reels) can violate our sleep mode, worsen memory and concentration of attention, lead to sharp mood swings and emotional depression and, as a result, to poor results in study or work.
Specialists are more deeply immersed in this problem. Now the Chinese scientists from the Tianjin Pedagogical University decided to deeply immerse themselves in it in the literal sense of the word: they looked at how sticking in short videos changes the structure of the brain. Their study is published in the journal Neurolmage.
111 students aged 17 to 30 years took part in the experiment. All of them regularly watched short videos in Tiktok and other social networks. For the sake of the purity of the result, the organizers excluded participants with neurological or mental disorders: it was necessary to make sure that changes in the brain, if any, were associated with video dependence, and not other pathologies.
Can be inherited?
“Dependence on short videos has become a growing behavioral and social problem caused by the wide use of digital platforms that provide fascinating, personalized and short video content. Such platforms have experienced a huge increase in the number of users and have won a noticeable market share in recent years, the authors of the article write. – Only in China, the number of short videos exceeded 1 billion, which is more than 95% of the total number of Internet users. Among them are a significant part of adolescents and elderly people. However, this surge in popularity in combination with the changing demography of users has caused a growing concern of politicians and researchers. ”
To understand how regular viewing of the realgs affects the brain, scientists conducted its MRI scanning. As a result, structural changes were revealed – differences in the volume of gray matter and functional activity of the brain. For those who experienced the greatest dependence on videos, zones related to emotions, decision -making and a sense of satisfaction were increased.
Scientists concluded that it is more difficult for such people to control their emotions and focus on important tasks. They can also have difficulties with self -esteem: for example, they constantly compare themselves with others, experience feeling and envy, etc.
In addition, the authors of the study discovered more than 500 genes associated with the changes found in the brain. It turns out that sticking on short videos can be genetically determined. So – be inherited.
How to protect yourself and a child?
Head of the Department of Clinical Psychology of Altai State University, Candidate of Psychological Sciences Anna Kuzmina He believes that the dependence on video content is especially dangerous for the younger generation. Still, it is easier for an adult to filter information received from the Internet than children and adolescents.
“It is proved that with the development of digital technology, a person’s brain seems to be atrophy, becomes lazy,” she says. – Since 2006, scientists have noticed that we began to flatten the frontal lobes responsible for the control of complex intellectual processes. As a result, almost healthy people have manifestations similar to the symptoms of patients with various mental disorders. There is no disease, but the specifics of information processing by the brain change as if it were. ”
According to Kuzmina, we all need to reduce the so -called screen time: lay off the smartphone aside two hours before bedtime and during meals. And it is necessary to filter the content that children watch on the Internet. But any parent knows that it is not easy to achieve. There is only one advice here: to offer the child an alternative pastime that will passionate him. It can be games in the tables, joint walks, cinema campaigns, a museum or a skating rink, reading or just heart -hearted conversation. But as for the adults themselves …
“Before you look at the next video, ask yourself: why do I need it? Will I get something useful from this video? – advises the psychologist. – We are what we eat. This also applies to our brain. By consuming meaningless content, we do not leave space and mental resources in our heads for something real important. ”
Source: aif.ru