You may have heard the term “brainrot”  from your friends, family or peers. It might sound scary, like it’s something caused by a virus, or the infamous brain-eating amoeba, but compared to those diseases mentioned, it is not life-threatening.

Originally, brainrot was a tongue-in-cheek, hyperbolic term used to, self-deprecatingly, describe one’s obsession with a specific topic. However, in 2023-2024, the word has wriggled itself into the commonplace (enough to be named Oxford Word of the Year in 2024) and has shifted meanings to now be defined as ‘the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material considered trivial or unchallenging.’ (Oxford University Press). In other words, watching too many TikTok videos.

Interestingly, brainrot has many vocabulary terms associated with it. Many of these terms sound very strange or absurd, filled with meaning beyond their etymological range (i.e. “skibidi”). Many people will use brainrot vocabulary in an attempt to sound cool with their friends. People may even joke about having brainrot themselves, because after all, it doesn’t literally deteriorate your brain.

But that is where brainrot lulls you. It doesn’t damage the corporeal body, it corrodes the soul.

“I’ll just watch a couple of youtube shorts before studying, it won’t hurt anything!”  You might say to yourself after you get home from school. Soon that “couple” of videos has become a hundred videos, and then that hundred of videos has become a thousand videos and then before you know it, it’s time to go to bed!

What you didn’t realize was that on that very day, the weather was unusually pleasant for a Florida summer day. There was a gentle breeze that had kept the heat at bay, making it once in a lifetime, bearable. It was a time that could have been spent with friends or family, taking a walk outside and spending time with your neighbors and seeing the local wildlife. It would have been the perfect refresher after studying.

But instead that entire day was wasted by staring at your screen all day, and you couldn’t even remember what the videos you watched were even about, so the whole thing was in vain! 

Does that sound like someone you know? Rest assured, brainrot can be cured by taking some of these steps:

1. Limit your screen time
2. Embrace the good ol’ outdoors (note: always be mindful of Florida’s powerful sun and wear plenty of  sunscreen and stay hydrated!)
3. Engage in other mental stimulating activities like: writing, drawing, reading a fun book, studying biology, or trying a new hobby!

To be able to diagnose whether your friend or family member has succumbed to brainrot, you can keep an eye out for these symptoms:

1. The (over)use of words and phrases associated with brainrot containing but not limited to: “skibidi,” “what the sigma,” “rizz,” “Ohio,” and “mewing”
2. The seemingly endless scrolling through youtube shorts or TikTok videos
3. Overindulgence of matcha flavored products and Dubai chocolate (which is a chocolate made with pistachio cream and kadayif, which is a very thin type of shredded noodle)