When was the last time your brain felt quiet? Or, at the very least, calm?
When was the last time you had a train of thought without another thought “popping” up while you were mid-way through?
If you find that your brain is never quiet and is constantly popping up with new thoughts, you might actually have a case of what is called ‘popcorn brain’. Coined by UW iSchool researcher David Levy in 2011, this happens when our brain is accustomed to the constant notifications, multitasking and overall overstimulation of the digital world.
Basically, you may just be a little too online.
It really makes sense if you think about it. Swiping between apps, jumping between group chats, clicking on notifications and reaching for your phone in quiet moments; all of this is almost like popcorn kernels ‘popping’ away in quick succession.
Should we be worried about popcorn brain?
Glamour Magazine spoke to psychologist Dannielle Haig who said our constant feed of information and notifications can lead to, “overstimulation of the brain’s reward system, particularly the dopamine pathways, which are associated with pleasure and novelty.”
She added that every piece of new information or notification triggers a small dopamine release which rewards our brain and encourages us to continue the cycle of seeking and receiving new stimuli.
Of course, this isn’t healthy. Most of us know that our relationship to our phones and social media isn’t healthy but can it be undone? Can we get our attention spans back?
How to get your attention span back
According to Headspace, there are four simple things you can do to try and improve your attention span:
- Get moving — researchers at the University of Illinois found that a 20 minute walk can help kids pay better attention in class
- Reduce distractions whenever you’re sitting down to a task, including turning off your phone and even your WiFi
- Meditate. Researchers at the University of California found that meditation can help people focus for longer on tasks that require them to distinguish small differences between things they see
- Listen to lyric-free music as this engages the attentional regions of the brain