You’ve got 30 seconds to kill, you’re waiting for your microwave meal to cook or you’re stuck in the car park waiting for your partner to finish shopping. Without thinking, you’ve already taken your phone out and started scrolling. TikTok, Reels, Shorts, you name it, it’s open and the doom scrolling begins.
It’s understandable, it’s what we’re used to and it’s what we’ve trained our brains to be used to. You’re bored, your brain wants stimulation, and you’ve trained it to crave that next dopamine hit. Scroll after scroll, you’re feeding your brain new and exciting information. First video, AI generated dog doing synchronised swimming, next video, ‘this sandwich changed my life, you MUST try’ – it was literally just cheese and pickle btw. Each swipe feeds the craving: new, exciting, possibly useless information. Your brain isn’t evaluating, it’s just consuming. And the more you consume, the more your brain learns: this is what we do now.
But here’s the kicker, doomscrolling might feel enjoyable while you’re doing it, but 2 hours later you’re in the same hunched over position, and you’ve seen hundreds of videos, yet you remember…none.
So how is this making you stupid? Well, your brain loves a habit. And right now, its learning that new information isn’t worth holding onto, because there’s always more coming in five second’s time. It’s de-prioritising memory and weakening your focus. And the result? Think back to the last new person you met. They said hello, told you their name and 20 seconds later, ah sh*t. What was there name again? You’re not broken, your brains just adapted to how you treat it.
But alas, not all hope is lost. The only reason your brain’s doing that is because you’ve trained it to behave this way. And even better? You can retrain it. When you do find yourself with a spare 30 seconds, grab a book, pop a podcast on, or watch something longer with a bit more substance. Your brain will thank you, way more than it does after another mindless scroll.
Long story short, you need to let your brain breathe. Sit with your thoughts a bit longer. Doing 30 seconds of nothing won’t kill you, but constantly overstimulating your brain? That’s a fast track to wrecking your focus.
