5 days ago
Does watching reels have the same effect as alcohol on the brain? Neurologist explains a new study
Is watching short videos in between your workday dulling your brain and building addictive behaviour similar to alcohol and substance abuse? Worse, it may rewire the brain, which adapts to the instant gratification and constant novelty, leading to impulsive decisions.
'Short-form video addiction is a global public health threat with users in China spending 151 minutes daily on average, and 95.5 per cent of internet users engaged. This high-intensity 'instant reward' consumption not only impairs attention, sleep and mental health but also increases depression risk,' said study author Qiand Wang, a professor of psychology at Tianjin Normal University. Other research has shown how short-form videos can negatively impact attention spans, cognitive skills and even short-term memory.
'Since these are rapid-fire in nature, the brain seems overwhelmed in processing them. Short videos deliver high dopamine experiences with minimal effort, which can overstimulate the brain's reward pathways, the circuits which are also involved in addictive substances. Over a period of time, this can reduce sensory, natural rewards and increase impulsive behaviour,' says Dr Praveen Gupta, chairman, Marengo Asia International Institute of Neuro & Spine (MAIINS), Marengo Asia Hospitals, Gurugram.
How are short videos addictive?
Habitual usage of short videos has been linked to reduced attention capacity. Because reels serve up constant novelty, you flit from moment to moment seeking novelty than doing some deep-focussed thinking. As short videos are of varied content, there is frequent context-switching. This can impair the brain's prefrontal cortex, which guides our thoughts, behaviours and emotions based on the information it receives. Scrolling can affect its ability to hold and manipulate the information due to constant switching.
MRI studies have shown that increased screen usage in adolescents correlated with a thinner cortex. Since the prefrontal cortex is still developing in our mid-20s, short-form videos can distort our sense of judgment and regulation of information.
How do short videos impact sleep?
Night-time screen exposure, especially those linked with emotionally-arousing content, disrupts circadian rhythm or the body's sleep-wake cycle. This affects the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for learning and memory. The hippocampus is crucial for forming new memories. It is also a temporary storage area, where short-term memories are transferred to long-term memories. The hippocampus plays a key role in navigating our surroundings, remembering routes and understanding spatial relationships.
Can scrolling be compared to alcohol addiction?
While there is no direct scientific measure that equates brain damage from these videos with that from alcohol or tobacco, both alcohol and nicotine have been associated with direct neurotoxic effects, which these videos are also causing.
Pinching short videos floods the brain's reward system with a dopamine hiss, training it to crave constant novelty. Over a period of time, this erodes sustained attention and reshapes neural pathways in ways similar to addictive substances, especially in younger brains which are still under maturation. While it is not the same as chemical brain damage from alcohol or nicotine, the long-term rewiring of motivation and focus is a real concern.
