Have you been struggling to regulate emotions, tolerate distress, or endure boredom lately? Is your head full of racing thoughts, preventing you from maintaining focus? Do you catch yourself scrolling through social media for hours, switching from one platform to another?
Well, it looks like your brain might be rotting. And yes, it is as scary as it sounds.
Brain rot affects both personal and professional life and is caused by excessive and everlasting consumption of low-grade online content.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Brain rot is a condition of overall cognitive decline, caused by overabundance of screen time.
- Brain rot causes a shortened attention span, hinders the ability to maintain focus, and impairs critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, and creativity.
- Brain rot deteriorates employee performance, motivation, engagement, and team collaboration.
What is ‘brain rot’ anyway?
Brain rot — Oxford Word of the Year 2024 — is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.”
Brain rot is quite an old term. Oxford University Press writes that Henry David Thoreau was the first person to use it in 1854 in his book Walden. He criticized society for simplifying and devaluing complex ideas and saw it as “indicative of a general decline in mental and intellectual effort.”
However, in the digital era, this phrase gained new momentum. Oxford experts noted that the term became a synonym for the impact of excessive exposure to low-quality online content, particularly on social media. Moreover, the term’s usage increased by a staggering 230% in just one year, between 2023 and 2024.
But, how does social media cause deterioration of the human intellect?
How social media causes brain rot
“Social media floods us with bite-sized, shallow content that’s easy to consume but rewires the brain to prioritize speed over depth”, says Ana Colak Fustin, psychologist, HR consultant, and founder of ByRecruiters.com:
“The constant stream of memes and clickbait overwhelms the prefrontal cortex, the part [of the brain] responsible for focus and decision-making, making it harder to process complex ideas or stay engaged. Over time, this fragmented attention weakens neural pathways essential for critical thinking and problem-solving.”
Moreover, Director of the Bay Area CBT Center, psychotherapist and author Avigail Lev adds that social media stimulates addictive behaviors, creating a dopamine-driven cycle:
“You become addicted to the rush of likes, comments, or other forms of validation. This results in emotional avoidance and decreased tolerance for difficult emotions like boredom.”
Another important aspect is the passive nature of social media, Lev explains:
“Algorithms send you content based on what they think you want, making you a passive recipient of information rather than an engaged participant. This passivity can deteriorate cognitive engagement and lead to brain rot.”
Finally, technology in general, particularly social media, can negatively impact human intelligence, Lev states:
“For example, reliance on autocorrect reduces the need to spell correctly, which can impair cognitive skills.”
Therefore, if you’re rereading emails because your mind keeps wandering, and feel like you need to check your phone every few minutes, it’s a clear sign brain rot is taking over, says Colak Fustin.
How brain rot affects your work performance
Brain rot can change employees’ behavior in several ways. The first change is the appearance of procrastination — when employees start to delay their usual tasks, says Biljana Rakic, Vice President of Human Capital at CAKE.com:
“Then, due to the shortened attention span, employees’ interest and excitement about work decreases. If they show excitement for a certain task, it’s short-term — we see employees crave assignments they can complete quickly. Moreover, they get disinterested fast and face difficulties finishing their tasks.”
Furthermore, brain rot negatively affects employees’ creativity for problem-solving, Rakic adds. She claims this happens because “shortened attention span and lack of focus and motivation reduce workers’ creativity, eventually leading to decreased productivity, performance, and employee engagement.”
Reduced productivity levels and hindered decision-making process increase stress, claims board-certified Psychiatrist at Luxury Psychiatry Clinic Dr. Michelle Dees.
In addition, our experts warn that short attention spans, inability to focus on complex tasks, and increased stress can lead to burnout and hinder communication and team collaboration. Rakic adds that emotional exhaustion, another consequence of brain rot, can hamper teamwork:
“Brain rot makes employees feel overwhelmed, as every social interaction, including business meetings or joint projects, requires a certain level of emotional labor. To have successful collaboration, people have to adjust their emotional states to the requirements of business surroundings, which can be quite strenuous.”
Interestingly, brain rot doesn’t affect only younger generations of employees. This phenomenon influences all generations, but its manifestations are different, says Colak Fustin:
“Gen Z grew up on social media, making them more prone to short attention spans, anxiety from online validation, and trouble disconnecting from constant digital noise. Gen X, on the other hand, faces digital fatigue from adapting to tech-heavy workplaces but benefits from stronger critical thinking skills, thanks to earlier habits of consuming long-form content.”
So, since Gen X may need some time to adapt to technology, brain rot manifests itself differently for this age group — in the form of digital fatigue (a state of mental exhaustion caused by extensive screen time).
Further reading:
If you want to learn more about the changes Gen Z brought to traditional work surroundings, check out our report:
How to tackle brain rot
Based on her experience, Dr. Dees shares several strategies to help employees maintain healthier cognitive habits and cope with brain rot:
- The 20-20-20 rule: Focusing on screens for extended periods strains your eyes and leads to overstimulation. So, take a break every 20 minutes, look at an object 20 feet away, and hold your gaze steady for 20 seconds.
- Schedule digital detoxes: Dedicate areas or time free of devices, both at work and at home. This will save your brain from constant digital inputs, and help you recharge, concentrate more effectively, and improve overall mental clarity.
- Use social media in moderation: Practice deliberate social media use by limiting time spent on apps through timers or other forms of control. This will minimize distractions and allow you to concentrate better on important matters.
Moreover, Rakic advises workers to return to “real-life hobbies”, like regular workouts, walks in nature, reading, or painting. She also reminds that exposure to new experiences benefits mental and cognitive health.
Doom scrolling lowers your cognitive abilities
Spending too much time consuming low-quality online content impairs crucial human traits, such as consciousness, the ability to maintain focus, critical thinking, and complex problem-solving skills. These competencies are important in business settings, and their lack, caused by brain rot, hinders overall performance, engagement, and employee wellbeing.
The good news is — you can slow down brain rot effects, or even reverse them, with:
- Mindful use of technology,
- Regular digital detox,
- Deep-focus periods without notifications, and
- Hobbies that exclude phone or social media usage.
Next time you feel the urge to doom scroll, ask yourself whether this helps your development or numbs your brain. The answer to this question might be the first step toward healthy boundaries with technology.
If you’d like to learn more about how social media affects traditional work culture, check out the viral workplace trends you need to know.