Will watching too many short videos cause 'brain fog'? Recently, there have been media reports that many people relax by watching short videos, which can quickly capture people's attention and refresh their minds within a few seconds. But when the brain adapts to this fast, high-frequency stimulus for a long time, it will fall into a state of "brain fog" where attention is exhausted. Is there any scientific basis for this statement? Experts in the neurology department of Zhongshan Hospital affiliated with Fudan University have made it clear that although short videos cannot be directly said to produce "brain fog", they do have an impact on the prefrontal cortex of the human brain, leading to decreased patience and shortened focus time. Let's first take a look at what 'brain fog' is. The so-called "brain fog" refers to the feeling of the brain being "shrouded in clouds and mist", which includes lack of concentration, forgetfulness, slow reactions, mental fatigue, and so on. Nowadays, dozens of diseases have been confirmed to be related to "brain fog", such as menopause, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, and depression. The content of short videos is simple and straightforward, even with reversals, which together constitute high-intensity visual and auditory stimuli. Dr. Liu Jianying, a neurologist at Zhongshan Hospital, said that when watching short videos, the brain secretes a large amount of dopamine, which can lead to "the more you watch, the happier you become and the more addicted you become". According to the platform algorithm, it is even more difficult to extricate oneself from being obsessed with short videos and repeatedly pushing the same type of short videos. There is scientific evidence to prove that watching short videos has an impact on the frontal lobe of the human body. The prefrontal cortex of the human body is mainly responsible for various advanced cortical functions such as attention, reasoning and decision-making, emotions, and social cognition. Its development begins in the third month of pregnancy and continues until adolescence. Short videos are quickly presented and instantly satisfying, providing instant happiness, but leading to reduced patience, shortened focus time, and difficulty in deep thinking and learning for a long time. Experts remind that if children are addicted to short videos for a long time, their brain will form a "dragonfly like" attention distribution, constantly switching attention points to pursue new stimuli, which will deteriorate the stability of attention and make them easily distracted and distracted during learning. Overuse of fast-paced short videos has been shown to be associated with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and children's excessive exposure to short videos increases the risk of developing attention deficit symptoms. Short videos are often fragmented information, and long-term viewing affects the cognitive development of the prefrontal cortex. It also makes it difficult to conduct in-depth analysis and systematic thinking when facing complex problems, and the ability to make decisions and solve problems is also affected. In addition to watching short videos, the double speed mode also has potential hazards. Dr. He Min, a neurologist at Zhongshan Hospital, stated that long-term reliance on the double speed mode may lead to the brain becoming accustomed to fragmented information processing, weakening deep thinking and sustained attention. Research has shown that continuous high-speed reception of information can reduce the activity of the prefrontal cortex (responsible for logic and decision-making) in the brain, and instead rely on the fast reacting basal ganglia, thereby forming a "shallow cognitive pattern". The 'shallow cognitive mode' may lead to memory loss, decreased comprehension, and even affect emotional regulation ability. For example, subjects who watch videos at double speed for a long time exhibit higher distraction frequency in subsequent normal speed learning. Experts remind us that while watching short videos may seem enjoyable, this form of entertainment may have far-reaching negative effects on the human brain, especially on teenagers. In addition to affecting the function of the frontal lobe of the brain, excessive reliance on short video socializing and lack of face-to-face communication in real life can also affect the development of social skills such as communication ability and empathy, leading to obstacles in establishing and maintaining good interpersonal relationships in real-life social scenarios. Finally, experts suggest avoiding "brain fog" in daily life, reducing short video watching, sleeping well, having a balanced diet, exercising appropriately, and reducing work intensity. It is recommended to "only do one thing at a time" at work when severe "brain fog" occurs to reduce brain consumption. It is particularly important to remind children to avoid exposure to short videos and electronic devices before the age of 2 to ensure healthy brain development. (New Society)