As many have likely been told, the brain is a muscle, and if you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. Well, that’s only partially true. The brain is not a muscle. But you do still need to train it like you would an actual muscle. In the same way that you lift weights to strengthen your biceps, learning new skills strengthens your brain. However, anyone who has been to a gym can tell you that just lifting weights isn’t enough: You must lift correctly, lest you lock in a damaging habit or end up hurting yourself. The same is true with the brain. And studies show that one such way to “lift” with your brain incorrectly is through the excessive consumption of short-form video content. Tik, Tok, Tik, Tok For years now, studies have consistently found that excessive social media use negatively affects mental health, especially among younger generations whose formative years were spent using it. At this point, such headlines are old news and utterly unsurprising. But very few have, until recently, intentionally explored the effects of short-form video (SFV) content—generally defined as vertical videos lasting no longer than one minute. The consensus? Yes, SFVs also alter the brain. Part of this, one systematic study out of Griffith University discerned, is because “SFV use has been associated with sleep disturbances—a well-established risk factor for anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment.” Researchers further explained that the “fast-paced nature of SFVs may overstimulate the brain, delaying sleep onset and reducing sleep quality.” In other words, SFV content is so engaging that users both stay up longer than they should and have trouble falling asleep once they’re finished, depriving the brain of the sleep it needs to properly function. Other studies have found that SFV content’s negative effects go beyond simply distraction. In researching how SFVs impact academic procrastination, a study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that the videos provide instant pleasure to the brain, which can cause students to “crave more immediate gratification, which can interfere with their long-term attention control.” And another systematic review noted that “overall, frequent SFV use was associated with attentional fragmentation, reduced sustained focus, and impaired working memory.” Even after accounting for studies that found little correlation between SFV use and mental changes, the Griffith study nevertheless “found that SFV use was associated with poorer cognition (attention, inhibitory control, language, memory, and working memory) and more mental health indices except body image and self-esteem.” And Don’t Forget It! To summarize those studies, the general finding seems to be this: In small quantities, SFVs don’t affect our brains too drastically. However, the engaging, quick style often leaves users staring at their screens far longer than intended. Unlike longer forms of video, SFV content’s quick nature slowly conditions the brain to switch its focus from topic to topic at a faster rate—and to forget what it had previously been consuming. Anecdotally, for those of us who’ve subjected ourselves to that mindless SFV scroll, how often can we actually remember most of what we saw—even just minutes before? Over the course of time, that’s how SFV starts to alter our attention, memory and inhibitory control. Plugged In is always looking for ways to help families establish an appropriate relationship with screens and technology. That’s why we’ve created our Parents’ Guide to Technology—to help equip parents with the information they need to stay ahead of the fast-paced world of tech. And for those who’d like to take a bit of a break from it all, we’ve likewise made a week-long screenless activity guide for our annual Screen Fast. Related Resources: How Social Media Distorts Reality Is Social Media Shaping Adolescent Brain Development? The Never-Ending Scroll: How Social Media Keeps Us Hooked Retiring YouTubers Expose a Problem – and the Solution What Does the Internet Say About Us? Gen Z, YouTube and the Search for Immutable Truth Appstinence and the “Dumbphone” Trend Teens Using Media: Why Social Media Shouldn’t Define Your Teen Unplugged: Tips to Control Your Child’s Social Media 7 Tips for a Technology and Social Media Detox America Controls TikTok Now – But Is It Really Safe? The post Want a Stronger Brain? Cut Out the Short-Form Videos, Studies Say appeared first on Plugged In.