 "Watching a lot of reels, short videos? It hurts your brain, says study")
Stop scrolling for a moment. Think about how you feel after an hour of Reels, Shorts, or TikToks. A bit drained? A bit foggy? A bit restless? According to a new study, heavy short-form video use is linked to poorer cognition, stress, anxiety, and lower mental wellbeing.
The study titled Feeds, feelings, and focus: A systematic review and meta-analysis examining the cognitive and mental health correlates of short-form video use, published recently in Psychological Bulletin, reviewed 71 studies involving 98,299 people. It highlighted that while the link between hyper-fast, endlessly scrolling videos and mental health is correlational, the patterns are hard to ignore.
What does short-form video use do to attention and cognition?
According to the study, across 14 studies, heavier use of short videos was linked to reduced attention, weaker inhibitory control, and smaller but noticeable dips in memory and working memory.
Attention took the biggest hit. The review found that people who use short-form videos more tend to have poorer attention and poorer ability to stop themselves from acting on impulse. So, the more you scroll Reels, Shorts or TikTok, the harder it may become to focus and the easier it becomes to get distracted or act impulsively.
How do short videos trigger dopamine spikes in the brain?
- fast cuts
- emotional content
- unpredictable novelty
The brain loves the stimulation but struggles with the comedown.
The researchers explain this using a long-standing psychological idea: the brain adapts to whatever it repeatedly consumes. Short videos flood the senses with novelty, speed, and instant rewards. Over time, this may make slower tasks such as reading, problem-solving, and deep work feel unusually effortful.
The study also found that teens and adults showed similar levels of cognitive association with intense short-form video use. This means that not only young minds, even adults are vulnerable.
How much short-video use is too much?
The strongest negative effects were linked not to hours spent, but to compulsive patterns of use, the kind where people cannot stop scrolling even when they want to.
“People who scored high on ‘short-form video addiction’ showed the biggest drop in cognitive performance,” the study authors said.
Time spent mattered too, but less strongly. Hours alone don’t tell the full story; compulsive scrolling patterns do.
Are short videos linked to stress and anxiety?
Across 61 studies reviewed, heavier short-form video use was linked to:
- stress
- anxiety
- depression
- poorer sleep
- greater loneliness
- lower wellbeing
Stress and anxiety showed the strongest associations.
The review also noted that many people turn to short videos because they already feel stressed or low, which complicates the relationship.
Do short videos affect sleep quality?
The review found a weak but consistent link between heavier short-video use, especially late at night, and poorer sleep quality. Blue light, overstimulation and “just one more scroll” all contribute.
Poor sleep, in turn, worsens anxiety, mood and cognitive clarity.
Do you need to quit short-form videos entirely?
The study doesn’t call for quitting, but it raises important warnings.
- If you notice:
- trouble concentrating,
- irritability after long scrolling,
- compulsive checking, or
- sleep disruption
…it may be your brain asking for a reset.
The researchers emphasise that more long-term studies are needed, but patterns seen across nearly 100,000 people are consistent enough to take seriously. For more health updates, follow #HealthWithBS
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