Why the viral 'nihilist penguin' reminds neurologists of Alzheimer's disease

Viral clip of a penguin heading towards mountains, dubbed 'nihilist penguin', has resonated online as symbol of burnout. A neurologist explains why its behaviour may resemble that seen in Alzheimer's

A short video of a lone Adélie penguin walking away from its group has sparked widespread commentary online, with many interpreting it as a symbol of burnout, emotional exhaustion, and quiet quitting from life itself. The clip is taken from filmmaker Werner Herzog’s 2007 documentary Encounters at the End of the World.

 

However, an Aiims-trained neurologist has offered a clinical explanation, suggesting the penguin’s behaviour may resemble patterns seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease, shifting the conversation from symbolism to science.

Why the ‘nihilist penguin’ clip has captured the internet’s attention

Christened as the “nihilist penguin” by the internet, this short-legged seabird is seen doing something unsettling in the viral clip. Instead of heading towards the sea for food, it turns inland and marches towards distant mountains, nearly 70 km away.

 

 

Online, people saw themselves in it and related to the urge to walk away from everything. A tiny black-and-white avatar for modern despair, if you will.

What a neurologist says about the penguin’s behaviour

In a January 27 Instagram post, Dr Rahul Chawla, a neurologist trained at Aiims New Delhi, offered an explanation from a clinical lens.

 

“In the viral video, the penguin leaves its group and starts walking towards distant mountains, where there is neither water nor food. Something similar is seen in patients with Alzheimer’s as well,” he explained.

 

Dr Chawla points to visuospatial dysfunction, which means disruption in the brain’s internal navigation system. In Alzheimer’s, this system begins to fail.

 

Patients may suddenly find their own homes unfamiliar. Faces feel strange. Routes they have taken for decades no longer make sense.

 

“They don’t leave because they want to escape,” Dr Chawla explains. “They leave because familiar places stop feeling familiar.”

Is the penguin’s behaviour really about depression or nihilism?

According to this perspective, yes. While he refrains from anthropomorphising, Dr Chawla asks people to pause before projecting human emotions onto animal behaviour. “Perhaps the penguin was not facing an existential crisis, nor depression, nor was it trying to harm itself,” he notes. “It’s possible that even its own group had begun to feel unfamiliar.”

 

In humans with Alzheimer’s, stepping out of the house is often a search for something that feels right again, guided by fragments of old memory, which could be dangerous.

What happens when penguins lose their way in the wild

As Herzog himself notes in the documentary, penguins rely heavily on environmental cues such as light, landscape, and instinctive routes. When these cues are disrupted due to illness, neurological dysfunction, harsh weather, or sheer confusion, navigation can fail.

 

A penguin heading inland faces almost certain death due to lack of food, water, and shelter. Herzog famously called it a “death march”, while acknowledging that humans observing cannot intervene.

 

Instead of seeing it as a mascot for burnout, Dr Chawla’s explanation nudges people towards empathy for those living with neurological disorders. “In Alzheimer’s, people do not leave their homes because they are troubled or depressed,” he says. “They step out because their home no longer feels like their own.”

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Rahul Chawla (@docrahulchawla)

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This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.