Short Videos Are Gradually "Eating Away" Our Brains.
PHOTO: Yueke
Modern life is becoming increasingly inseparable from short videos. Whether on the way to work by subway, getting ready for a lovely dinner with a partner, or even the first thing after sitting on the toilet, people instinctively pull out their phones, open a short video app, and start swiping up, up, up...
Short videos are indeed a powerful tool for killing time. They are short enough, with most videos lasting from a few seconds to a few dozen seconds, allowing us to "interact" with them anytime and anywhere using fragmented time. According to the "Network Audiovisual Development Research Report," by the end of 2023, the average daily usage time of short video users reached 151 minutes (2.5 hours). This is roughly equal to the average leisure time most people have, as the "Better Life Survey" shows that the average daily leisure time for people is 2.76 hours.
Some say short videos are slowly "eating away our brains." By reviewing data, we find that
the allure of short videos is indeed a product of modern technology perfectly designed to exploit the characteristics of the brain.
PHOTO: Yueke
As long as you live on Earth, you can find everything that interests you in the world of short videos. From movie analyses to carpet cleaning to little dramas of everyday life, it’s all exciting and richly diverse. Every interesting, informative, or serious real-time trending short video is like a sweet little candy, constantly feeding our brains with feelings of satisfaction, happiness, or excitement.
And the cost of obtaining this happiness is extremely low: just a swipe of your finger. Don’t like something? Swipe it away quickly, and move on to the next one until you find content you enjoy again. The most important part is that it's endless. You can keep swiping, one after another, one after another...
PHOTO: Yueke
In this process, our brains quickly learn that after being given a sweet candy, just a few more swipes might bring the next candy. The brain loves this kind of "reward." Researchers have found that each uninterrupted reward (short video) causes our brains to release dopamine.
Dopamine not only brings pleasure but, more importantly, increases "craving." It makes you unable to resist swiping again and again, always hoping the next one will be better.
Short-lived happiness turns into endless craving and anticipation. Our brains are thus eaten away or, more accurately, tamed.
PHOTO: Yueke
The taming of our brains by short videos doesn't stop there. Under normal circumstances, the brain has control areas that help us stop scrolling. However, research has found that when watching "videos you might like," this self-control system gets disrupted.
The "you might like" feature is an ever-improving recommendation algorithm that calculates your preferences based on your short video activity and continuously recommends similar content. If you like a video of a cat yawning, it will push more cute cat videos to you.
The more you scroll through short videos, the more content you like will appear, and everyone’s feed will look completely different. This is the brilliance of it—based on algorithms, short videos offer a unique experience to each individual.
PHOTO: Yueke
This mechanism of tailoring content to each brain is vastly different from the entertainment we used to engage with, such as books, movies, or variety shows, which can't constantly provide the brain with candy-like rewards. But algorithms can.
At first, most people might think, "Great, it understands what I love!" But researchers have a different perspective. Some studies suggest that this "algorithmic recommendation" mechanism in short videos can make people more prone to "addiction" to them. Brain science research seems to support this as well.
Researchers have found that people who watch personalized short videos are entering a state of disconnection, meaning they gradually lose self-control. During the process of viewing personalized short videos, the brain’s attentional resources are highly occupied (meaning people are more engrossed in the current activity), while the cognitive control areas of the brain are suppressed.
This may be why you find it increasingly hard to stop scrolling. Short videos "control" the brain’s self-regulation areas, immersing us completely in listening and watching.
PHOTO: Yueke
-Increased Depression and Anxiety: Higher levels of depressive and anxious emotions.
-Difficulty Focusing: Attention becomes harder to concentrate.
-Sleep Disorders and Health Issues: Greater likelihood of experiencing sleep disturbances and other health problems.
-Social Impact and Increased Loneliness: Negative effects on social interactions and heightened feelings of loneliness.
Once addiction sets in, short videos can transform from a source of pleasure into a source of anxiety. Research has also identified some changes in brain structure. For those who can't resist scrolling due to a "fear of missing out," their brain cortex tends to be thinner. Some studies have even found that addiction can "hijack" the brain's natural reward system for eating and drinking, making people feel less hunger or thirst and leading them to continually consume videos instead of remembering to eat or drink.
PHOTO: Yueke
Turning off "personalized recommendations" can be a crucial first step. This might significantly help you reduce your "addiction" to short videos.
You can also put down your phone and seek joy in real life.
Short videos are just one of many new forms of fleeting pleasure. More and more people are rediscovering the beauty in life:
Watch a Movie Properly: Enjoy a full movie rather than just a brief commentary.
Have a Meal with Friends: Share a delicious meal and chat in person instead of watching food broadcasts.
Shop in Person: Feel the texture and fit of clothes firsthand rather than online.
Admire a Blooming Flower: Appreciate the natural beauty of a flower.
Breathe in Fresh Air After Rain: Enjoy the refreshing scent of rain.
Chase a Beautiful Sunset: Experience the wonder of a vibrant sunset.
These real-life experiences can bring lasting joy and fulfillment beyond the fleeting pleasure of short videos.
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