Harvard Stress Expert Warns of ‘Popcorn Brain’ From Digital Overload

Nearly everyone is facing an unprecedented flood of information, with billions of social media interactions occurring every day. According to Domo’s 2024 “Data Never Sleeps” report, users play 138.9 million reels per minute across Instagram and Facebook. Experts say this constant exposure is reshaping how people focus and process information, with attention spans declining sharply in the digital age.

Research by psychologist Gloria Mark has tracked attention spans since 2004, showing a fall from an average of two and a half minutes on screens to just 47 seconds by 2016 — a timeframe comparable to the length of many social media clips. Harvard physician Dr. Aditi Nerurkar highlights another consequence of information saturation in her book "The 5 Resets: Rewire Your Brain and Body for Less Stress and More Resilience:" a phenomenon called “popcorn brain.”

Young women using their smartphones | Source: Pexels

Popcorn brain, a term first coined by researcher David Levy in 2011, occurs when the brain becomes conditioned to constant streams of digital input. “Our brains get habituated to this constant streaming of information, making it harder for us to look away and disconnect from our devices, slow down our thoughts, and live fully offline,” Nerurkar wrote. While not a medical diagnosis, she describes it as a rising cultural concern.

To counteract popcorn brain, Nerurkar recommends limiting phone scrolling to 20 minutes twice daily, turning off notifications, keeping smartphones at least ten feet away from workstations or family settings, and avoiding placing devices on nightstands. She stresses the importance of having alternatives such as notepads, books, or brief exercise to replace habitual phone use.

“Rewiring your brain and overcoming your primal urge to scroll is a major feat,” Nerurkar said. “In time, your stress will thank you because you’ll be deciding who and what gets your attention, not a device in the palm of your hand.”