Will your brain become swollen if you watch short videos frequently? The impact on your body and mind may be far beyond your imagination

I won't even watch a two-hour movie.

A short video of two or three minutes introducing the plot

One brush is a day

Open your phone and

"This woman is called Xiaomei

This man is called Xiao Shuai."

Sofa, subway, toilet for slacking off...

There are short video sounds

But have you ever wondered

Too many short videos

What effects will it have on the body and mind?

Let’s find out today

Dopamine Reward System

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. When we watch short videos and see interesting content, our brain releases dopamine, producing pleasure, thereby reinforcing the behavior of continuing to watch .

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After putting down our phones, the pleasure disappears and we feel lost, bored or even painful, so we want to stimulate ourselves and gain happiness by watching short videos .

In addition, the algorithm of the short video platform will recommend more content of interest to you. The more you watch, the more you like it, and the more it is recommended, the more you like it, thereby constantly stimulating the dopamine reward system in your brain .

Escape from the pressure of reality

Short videos provide an outlet to escape from the pressure of reality and relieve negative emotions. People who lack self-control may find it more difficult to extricate themselves from this escape and become overly dependent on short videos.

Pursue greater audio-visual stimulation

The rich auditory and visual stimulation of short videos can quickly attract our attention and keep the brain in a highly active state.

As we gradually get used to this kind of "stimulation", it will become increasingly difficult for us to obtain the same sense of happiness .

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Many people watch videos at 2x or even 3x speed, which is a manifestation of the brain's constant pursuit of greater stimulation.

"I watch videos every day when I wake up, turn down the volume! My head is dizzy from the noise", "Still watching! I'm in Shudaoshan, my phone is off", "Watch videos when I sit up or lie down, why don't you go out and have some fun"...

I believe that everyone who loves to watch short videos has heard these words to some extent.

So, what impact will frequently watching short videos have on us?

1

Poor concentration

When our brain gets used to the ever-changing information on short video platforms, we will find it difficult to adapt to activities in life that require long-term concentration , such as reading, doing homework, and handling work.

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Have you ever found that you are becoming less and less patient after watching short videos frequently? You can’t even finish watching a video longer than ten minutes, let alone reading a long text.

2

Affects sleep

Watching short videos before going to bed has become a "bedtime ritual" for many people. However, the content in short videos can mostly arouse our curiosity and excitement, stimulate the central nervous system, excite the cerebral cortex, speed up breathing and heartbeat, and thus affect sleep.

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At the same time, the light emitted by the mobile phone screen will also affect the production of melatonin, causing difficulty falling asleep or poor sleep quality.

3

Depression risk

Short videos may also lead to more upward social comparisons , making people more likely to suffer from psychological problems such as depression and anxiety.

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Watching too many short videos will inevitably make people feel out of tune with this world: Why are other people's lives so happy? Why are others so rich, beautiful, and have good grades?

4

Affects memory and learning

The content of short videos is usually fragmented, lacking in systematicness and depth, leaving the brain in a state of passively receiving information, which may replace our active learning and thinking .

In addition, regular exercise and a rich social life are beneficial to brain health, but watching short videos may replace our healthy living habits , adversely affect brain function, and gradually reduce memory and thinking abilities.

To reduce the time spent on short videos and get rid of the addiction to short videos, we can try the following methods:

1. Set time limits

You can use alarm clocks, family reminders, youth mode, etc. to control the time you spend watching short videos every day, arrange your daily routine reasonably, and avoid long-term continuous viewing.

2. Carry out diversified entertainment activities

Enrich your life with diverse entertainment activities such as sports, reading, and socializing, and reduce your dependence on short videos.

3. Find the right way to relieve stress

When you are under a lot of stress, you can talk to your family and friends, or relieve stress through exercise, contact with nature, meditation, etc.

4. Don’t let your child get in touch with mobile phones too early

Children's prefrontal cortex (the command and control center of the brain) is not yet fully developed, so their self-control ability is relatively weak.

As parents, try not to let your children come into contact with mobile phones too early. If it is difficult to completely avoid contact with mobile phones during the learning process, try to control the time of using mobile phones.

5. Actively seek external help

If you find it difficult to get rid of the short video addiction on your own, you can seek help from your family, friends, teachers, and if necessary, you can also seek professional help from a psychologist.

How much time do you spend watching short videos every day?

Share in the comments

Let’s discuss together~

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

Experts who reviewed this article

References

[1] Feng Yujia, Li Yan (2022). Psychological analysis of adolescents’ addiction to short videos on TikTok. Advances in Psychology, 12(1), 26-32. https://doi.org/10.12677/AP.2022.121003.

[2]Peel, Nancye M., et al. “Behavioral Determinants of Healthy Aging1.” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, vol. 28, no. 3, 2005, pp. 298–304. Crossref, doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2004.12.002.

[3]Qin Haoxuan. Research on the influencing mechanism and intervention strategies of college students' short video addiction[J].[2024-06-26].

[4] Yin Yin. "How does the brain adapt to the information explosion era?" Science 24, 2023(5):46-48.

[5]Sha, Peng, and Xiaoyu Dong. "Research on Adolescents Regarding the Indirect Effect of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress between TikTok Use Disorder and Memory Loss." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 18, no. 16, 2021, p. 8820. Crossref, doi:10.3390/ijerph18168820.

[6] Zhang Xiaozhou, Peng Ting. The impact of mindfulness on mobile phone addiction among college freshmen: the mediating role of social anxiety[J]. Chinese Journal of Health Psychology, 2023, 31(5):716-722.

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