Don’t rot your brain

Oxford’s Word of the Year 2024 is ‘brain rot’, the ‘supposed deterioration of a person’s mental state’. Know how we are frying our brains, and how to check it.

Written by Garima Sadhwani

December 22, 2024 00:30 IST

Don’t rot your brain.

Picture this. It’s a weeknight. On your way home from work, you listen to a podcast on which two friends give their opinions about a random subject. You reach home, change your clothes, have dinner, and get into bed, while the same podcast episode continues, or maybe another one starts.

All this while, you’ve been passively consuming the podcast—with the noise acting almost as background music to your life’s mundane activities, just loud enough to drown your own thoughts.

When you finally do get into bed, you turn off the podcast. Now, you open Instagram and start doomscrolling—looking at whatever reel the algorithm throws your way (or do the same thing on YouTube Shorts, if that’s your jam!). Does this sound familiar? Scarily so?

In January this year, content monetisation and market technology company InMobi released a report highlighting that Indians spend an average of four hours and five minutes on their smartphones every single day, nearly an hour more than the global average.

The kind of screen time that we have is bound to impact us invariably. A 2019 study published in the World Psychiatry journal, titled The Online Brain: How the Internet May Be Changing Our Cognition, noted that rapid access to information is impacting our internal memory processes, pushing us towards “attentional-switching”, and away from sustained focus. At the same time, the online social world has been meshing with our “offline sociality”.

To put it in simple words, as Gen Z would say, spending so much time on the internet is “frying” our brains.

Oxford-certified

Is it any surprise then that Oxford’s ‘Word of the Year 2024’ is ‘brain rot’? Chosen by the Oxford University Press, which publishes the Oxford English Dictionary, the phrase was defined as the “supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as a result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”

With a 230% increase in usage frequency between 2023-2024, the term ‘brain rot’ received over 37,000 votes before Oxford finalised it.

The Oxford University Press, while announcing it, noted, “Our experts noticed that ‘brain rot’ gained new prominence this year as a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media. The first recorded use of ‘brain rot’ was found in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden, but has taken on new significance as an expression in the digital age.”

Cognitive dissonance

While ‘brain rot’ is not a medical term, and rather one that is used colloquially, it does point to a bigger problem of cognitive decline in times of overconsumption of online content.

Dr Shaunak Ajinkya, consultant psychiatrist at Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, says, “Excessive time spent on social media or consuming trivial internet content negatively impacts mental health in several ways.”

He goes on to list that, for one, it impairs focus and reduces attention spans, making it harder to “engage in deep, meaningful tasks that require sustained concentration.” A Stanford study from 2018 had also said, “People who frequently engage with multiple types of media at once performed worse on simple memory tasks.”

Secondly, it creates a sense of “mental exhaustion,” says the doctor, adding that it leaves “little room for creativity or problem-solving.”

“Social media fosters unrealistic comparisons to others’ curated lives, leading to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, or even depression. Replacing real-life interactions with virtual engagements also leads to loneliness and isolation,” Dr Ajinkya emphasises.

Kamna Chhibber, head of mental health at the department of mental health and behavioural sciences, Fortis Healthcare, explains that not taking in cognisance the quality of the content that one is consuming could also lead to it impacting their mood, dulling the person, and taking away the space for actual meaningful interactions—which could then negatively affect their physical well-being as well.

Says Chhibber, “Medical experts do speak of degeneration of the body and the development of specific aches, pains, and deformities on account of continual usage of gadgets.”

Dr Ajinkya agrees. He mentions that mindless scrolling doesn’t just generate a lack of interest or motivation in a person, it can also cause increased anxiety or irritability, reduced productivity, compulsive checking of notifications, disruption to one’s natural sleep cycle, postural issues like neck pain, backaches, and eye strain, and even increase the risk of obesity, and metabolic syndrome—induced by a sedentary lifestyle.

The list really is really endless when it comes to how excessively being online can impact your health. The Oxford ‘Word of the Year 2024’ has only

exacerbated discussions around the cognitive repercussions.

For instance, says Dr Ajinkya, “Overexposure to short, highly stimulating content activates the brain’s dopamine pathways, creating a cycle of instant gratification, reducing the capacity for sustained focus and deep work. It can also overwhelm the brain.”

How not to cook your brain

But, of course, with ‘brain rot’ becoming the word of the year and the conversations it has begun, there’s also an increased emphasis on not letting your online life become your ‘real life’.

Dr Ajinkya puts it quite articulately as he says, “Understanding brain rot is a reminder to prioritise intentionality, focus, and meaningful interactions in a hyperconnected world.”

Chhibber agrees. She adds, “It is important for people to recognise the need to focus on having a more balanced life.”

“Bringing a mindful approach to how one lives their life is important and, in this context, it is crucial to recognise that there is a need to consume only that content which matters to you and engage with one activity at a time,” emphasises Chhibber.

So, what do the mental health professionals suggest?

A balanced digital detox
Switch off for some time everyday, and take longer screen breaks over the weekends
Be observant of your surroundings
Build real connections offline

But the experts that FE spoke to do realise that these recommendations are easier preached than followed. To just get started towards leading a more wholesome life, they advise taking some baby steps.

Set boundaries and limit your screen time, by using apps to track it
Avoid mindless scrolling and engage with content that adds value to your life
Rediscover your offline hobbies
Spend quality time with your friends, family, and loved ones through in-person interactions
Exercise regularly, have a consistent sleep routine, and opt for healthy eating

Dr Ajinkya says, “While digital detoxing can be effective, the key is to establish sustainable habits that prioritise balance and meaningful engagement in both the online and offline worlds.”