Does TikTok really cause brain rot? The results of the study

With the growing popularity of short video platforms, it is increasingly common to hear the idea that addiction to their use can affect the brain. Indeed, an over-indulgence in personalized short videos, humorously referred to as "brain rot," is considered potentially harmful to cognitive acuity and emotional well-being.

The impact on behavior is already recognized - including the fact that students' attention to learning is reduced - but the underlying neural and biological mechanisms remain poorly understood. To address this gap, researchers from Tianjin Normal University in China conducted a study to find out how short video addiction can change the brain and identify specific genes that may influence susceptibility to this behavior, Psy Post writes.

The study involved 111 college students aged 17 to 30, each of whom was a regular user of short video platforms such as TikTok. The participants were carefully selected to exclude those with a history of neurological or psychiatric disorders, making sure that the results could be attributed to the behavioral effects of short video consumption rather than to existing medical conditions.

Scientists believe that personality traits such as dispositional envy, which causes negative emotions in response to social comparisons, arise with excessive use of social media. Therefore, the researchers were interested in whether envy could serve as a psychological risk factor for addiction to short video platforms. Dispositional envy was measured using a standardized instrument that captures people's tendency to feel hurt or distressed when comparing themselves to others.

To investigate the neurological aspects of short video addiction, the researchers collected high-resolution brain imaging data using MRI. These scans provided insight into two key areas: structural changes in the brain, such as differences in gray matter volume, and functional activity, such as regional homogeneity, which measures the synchronization of neural activity in a particular area. Statistical methods were then used to analyze how these brain characteristics correlated with participants' levels of addiction to short videos.

The researchers observed structural and functional differences in the brains of people with high levels of short video addiction. Structurally, these people showed increased gray matter volume in the orbitofrontal cortex and cerebellum, an area involved in reward processing, decision making, and emotional regulation. Increased volume in this area indicates increased sensitivity to the rewards provided by personalized short video content, potentially exacerbating compulsive viewing behavior. Similarly, changes in the cerebellum, traditionally associated with motor control but increasingly recognized for its role in cognitive and emotional processing, have been linked to the sensory-rich, dynamic nature of short videos.

Functionally, the researchers observed increased neural activity in several areas, including the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate cortex, temporal pole, and cerebellum. These areas are involved in decision-making, self-referential thinking, and emotional regulation. Increased activity in these areas suggests that short video addiction may affect both the brain's reward system and its ability to regulate attention and emotions.

The study also emphasized the role of dispositional envy as a psychological factor associated with short video addiction. Participants with higher levels of envy were more likely to report compulsive use of short video platforms. This relationship was mediated by changes in certain brain regions, such as the cerebellum and temporal pole, which are involved in processing social and emotional information. These results suggest that people prone to envy may turn to short video platforms to cope with feelings of inadequacy.

At the genetic level, researchers have identified more than 500 genes associated with brain changes that occur due to short video addiction. These genes were primarily involved in synaptic signaling and neural connectivity, processes essential for communication and brain plasticity.

The researchers emphasized that a significant number of these genes were expressed during adolescence. This finding emphasizes that adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period for developing behaviors such as short video addiction.

Although the study provides important information, it is not certain that there is a cause and effect relationship - that is, whether the brain changes lead to addiction or are a consequence of it. Future studies will be able to clarify this.

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