Brain rot, which is a “mental or cognitive decline, presumably due to overconsumption of trivial or unchallenging information online,” is not an “actual medical diagnosis but the symptoms people experience [are] very real,” says Dr. Gary Small, a memory, brain, and aging expert and professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at University of California, Los Angeles.
“There can be memory issues, difficulty focusing, attention, irritability, headaches and whether the brain is actually rotting from this activity, we don’t know, however there have been some interesting studies suggesting there may be some effects,” Small told Newsmax’s “National Report” Thursday.
“There have been some interesting studies suggesting there may be some effects,” he added.
“A 2021 study found that people who spend extensive time on the internet have decreased brain volume in areas controlling thinking and decision making and this is something of concern,” Small said.
Older people are affected as well, he told Newsmax
“There was a study of older people who use the internet extensively and they found that there were problems with short term memory and mental flexibility.
Small said “pacing ourselves is important and not spending hours and hours online.”
“I you’re going to spend time online mix it up,” he added.
“The other thing to do is live a healthy active lifestyle; physical exercise will increase rain circulation cellular growth and mitigate those effects of trivial online activity, so the bottom line is pace yourself enjoy yourself just don’t overdo it.”
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