Brain Rot: Condition and Antidote

The Condition

While England endeavors to cure the potato rot, will not anyone endeavor to cure the brain rot?

This question, posed by Henry David Thoreau in his 1854 book Walden, includes the first recorded use of the term “brain rot.” Some 170 years later, Oxford University Press (publisher of the Oxford English Dictionary) has chosen “brain rot” as its Word of the Year after it was voted in by tens of thousands of people.

Brain rot is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging.” In today’s technological landscape, many of us are familiar with the mind-numbing experience of consuming low-quality digital content in high volumes. The glut of reels and stories, of memes and gifs, all in the context of infinite scrolling and clicking, has a decidedly deleterious effect on our mental capacities. Brain rot is problematic both on an individual level and on a societal level, as we operate in a kind collective Internet-induced fog. 

Brain rot.

The Antidote

Brain rot is an alarming condition, but it is not untreatable. There are several antidotes in existence. One of the most effective is a psychological concept called “flow.” Flow is the state of complete absorption in an experience. The term was coined by the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. In his seminal work, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Csikszentmihalyi outlines his theory that people are happiest when they are in a state of flow, i.e., fully immersed in what they are doing. In a state of flow, temporal concerns (time, food, ego, etc.) fall to the wayside, and the individual is totally present.

Recently on a rainy Saturday afternoon, I went to an indoor rock-climbing gym with my six-year-old son. I watched as he adeptly cruised to the top of the climbing wall and was amazed by his fearlessness. I decided to try climbing alongside him and quickly understood why climbing has become such a popular pastime. Climbing is also an ideal activity for cultivating a flow state.

Csikszentmihalyi postulates that for flow to occur, three key conditions must be met:

1.        The activity must have clear goals and progress that is easy to track.   

Even as a beginner climber, I had a well-defined objective: to get to the top of the wall. I tracked my progress based on how high I was able to climb, i.e., which handhold I reached. These two elements—goals and progress—provided a sense of structure, which allowed me to stay engaged and motivated throughout the climb. 

2.        The activity must provide immediate feedback.

In rock climbing, feedback is instantaneous. Tangible feedback forces you to adjust your performance to stay on track. When you make a mistake, you might stumble or lose your balance. But you then troubleshoot by changing your body’s position, rearranging your foot placement, or adapting in some other way. Conversely, when you successfully find the right handhold, your body responds with positive feedback: a feeling of stability and a strong grip on the rock.  

3.        The activity must create a balance between challenge and skill.

If an activity is too demanding, it can lead to frustration or overwhelm, and won’t be conducive to flow. If an activity is too easy, that can lead to boredom, which can also impede flow. In rock climbing, the climber can choose the appropriate level of difficulty (each route is graded with a numerical system) so that they are optimally challenged.

An indoor rock climbing gym.

Brain rot is a destructive byproduct of our hyper-connected, content-saturated digital lives. Fortunately, there are antidotes to this condition, notably in the form of engaging activities that command our full attention. One such antidote is the psychological state of flow, which can be cultivated through activities that offer clear goals, immediate feedback, and an appropriate level of challenge. Activities like rock climbing offer a powerful remedy for brain rot by restoring the focus that we lose through digital distractions and even, in some cases, promoting a state of flow.