This may occasionally seem corny — but for those who are feeling overwhelmed by the non-stop pace of digital media and end up struggling to consider a single task or thought, you will have “popcorn brain.”
“Popcorn brain refers back to the tendency for our attention and focus to leap quickly from one thing to a different, like popping corn kernels,” clinical psychologist Dr. Daniel Glazer told Metro UK last week.
“Popcorn brain” isn’t recent — the term was coined in 2011 by University of Washington researcher David Levy — but mental health experts are sharing recent ways to combat the phenomenon as our lives grow to be more digital.
One study found that 62.3% of the worldwide population is on social media, with the typical each day usage last month clocking in at 2 hours and 23 minutes.
Psychologist Dannielle Haig told Glamour UK last week that excessively scrolling and browsing through recent posts, alerts, engagements, and advertisements triggers a small dopamine release that rewards the brain and fuels the cycle.
“Over time, this constant demand for attention and the rapid switching between tasks can result in a sense of mental restlessness or the brain ‘bouncing around’ because it struggles to keep up give attention to anybody task for an prolonged period,” Haig explained.
Research by the University of California at Irvine determined that the typical attention span on any screen before switching to something else decreased from 2.5 minutes in 2004 to 75 seconds in 2012 to 47 seconds nowadays.
“Some key facets of popular apps seem uniquely suited to scatter focus — like variable reward schedules, micro-dosing of dopamine, and purposefully addictive designs optimized to maximise engagement over well-being,” Glazer told Metro.
The constant digital stimulation appears to be affecting brain performance.
Research suggests that neural pathways within the brain “are being rerouted or adapted to accommodate the demands of multitasking and rapid information processing,” Haig says, which can come on the expense of with the ability to “engage deeply and thoughtfully with content, potentially impacting learning, memory, and emotional regulation over time.”
She warns that “popcorn brain” can negatively affect social interactions, patience, emotional well-being, and productivity while increasing anxiety and the potential for burnout.
Listed below are some suggestions Haig and Glazer have for alleviating “popcorn brain.”
- Limit tech usage to certain times and undergo digital detoxes to let the brain rest and recharge.
- Take part in screen-free activities, like meditating, having fun with nature, exercising, reading, and creating art.
- Be sure that to pause to give attention to a single task to coach your brain to not multitask on a regular basis.
- Periodically delete apps to attempt to regain control over social media usage.