Radio Cadena Agramonte emisiora de Camagüey
United Kingdom, Dec 18.- The prestigious English dictionary 'Oxford English Dictionary' has chosen the expression 'brain rot', which can be translated as 'mental rot' or 'brain putrefaction', as the concept that sums up the current year.
In addition to being a social problem that generates a "deterioration of the mental or intellectual state of a person" as a result of excessive consumption of "trivial or unstimulating" online content, addiction to social networks and other digital content rots our brains in a direct sense, reports Fox News.
The American neuroscientist Kyra Bobinet, author of 'Unstoppable Brain', highlights the growing awareness that exists about brain decomposition and its consequences as a result of this 'mental rot'.
According to the expert, a section of the brain called the habenula is responsible for us getting trapped in an infinite 'scroll'.
The habenula is a central part of the brain that is involved in several important functions, such as motivation and decision-making. But when activated, this area can also "kill our motivation to try," Bobinet warns.
"It's the core of when you know you should be doing something and instead you do something else, like a 'Scroll of death,'" she notes.
The ability to imagine is also compromised, which can have an extremely negative impact on children's development, warns another expert, Dr. Don Grant, a specialist in the treatment of mood disorders and co-occurring disorders.
What do scientists recommend?
According to Bobinet, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to avoid brain rot and the key to the solution is learning what works best for each individual, which involves "making adjustments and modifications on the fly." "Once we know the truth about our bodies, we can do something about it," she notes.
According to Grant, since the Internet is “forever archived,” the infamous FOMO, or fear of missing out, is not a valid reason to be permanently connected.
“Maybe call a friend or video call your grandmother during the holidays,” he suggested. “Go outside, move a muscle (…), play memory games, intellectually challenging or educational games,” he added. (Text and Photo: Cubasí)
