How Short Videos Mess with Your Brain

Short videos are everywhere. They are fun and easy to watch. But what happens in your brain when you watch them? Scientists wanted to find out. They looked at how the brain changes when people watch short videos. The brain has parts that help us control our actions. These parts are called the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC). When we do hard tasks, these parts get active. But when we watch short videos, something different happens. Scientists used special tools to see what was going on. They found that when people watch videos they like, these control parts of the brain get less active. It's like they take a break. But when people watch videos they don't like, the brain stays more active.The scientists also found that some people's brains react differently. They looked at a chemical called glutamate. People with more glutamate in their dACC had less deactivation. This means their brain control parts stayed more active. Another thing they found was that the dACC and dlPFC talked to each other more when people watched videos they liked. This is called functional connectivity. It's like they were having a conversation. So, what does this all mean? Watching short videos can make the brain's control parts less active. This might be why some people find it hard to stop watching. The study also shows that everyone's brain is different. Some people's brains react more than others. This is important because it helps us understand how digital media affects us. It's not just about entertainment. It's about how it changes our brain and our behavior.