Episode summary:
“Brain rot” was named the Oxford Word of the Year 2024 – a tongue-in-cheek term for that fried feeling after too much scrolling or streaming. But what’s really going on in the brain when constant digital stimulation leaves us feeling empty and unfocused?
In this episode, Dr Sabina Brennan unpacks the neuroscience of brain rot – how dopamine loops, cognitive overload and attention fatigue are reshaping our mental landscape – and what you can do to reclaim your focus and creativity.
You’ll learn:
- Why “brain rot” isn’t just slang – it reflects a real neurological tug-of-war
- How dopamine drives endless scrolling and decision fatigue
- Why your attention and memory pay the price for multitasking
- The difference between brain fog (physiological) and brain rot (behavioural)
- Why daydreaming and mental white space are the healthiest “apps” on your mental home screen
Three Tools for Your Super Brain Kit:
- 🧩 The Friction Rule – add small barriers to scrolling and let your brain catch up.
- ⚡ Dopamine Reset – replace passive hits with active rewards like learning or movement.
- 🌿 Stillness Practice – schedule unstructured thinking time to reboot your focus.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Beating Brain Fog by Dr Sabina Brennan – for deeper insights into how clarity and focus are restored in the brain.
- Oxford University Press Word of the Year 2024: “Brain Rot”.
- Research on dopamine, attention fatigue and the Default Mode Network.
Connect:
💬 Share your thoughts and experiences with #SuperBrain
📚 Read more: www.sabinabrennan.ie
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