How YouTube Shorts Make a Negative Impact on Our Brains?

Over the past few years, YouTube Shorts have become excessively popular. People now prefer to watch more short-form videos rather than minute-long videos. It all started on TikTok, and now most of the social media sites offer short-form videos. These videos range from 15 to 60 seconds. Thus, it has only a little time to hook the audience. Surprisingly, these videos have all the elements that can amuse an audience. That is why, with each passing day, people are becoming more hooked on YouTube Shorts. They just keep on swiping and watching all the videos. However, there is more than just mere entertainment. It is seen that such videos make a huge impact on human brains. The short-form videos are quite addictive because they are less time-consuming, catchy, and entertaining. It can be said that it is making various negative impacts, and most people are not paying much attention to this. Let’s find out how YouTube Shorts negatively affects viewers-

• Dopamine and addiction:

If you look at this matter closely, then you will see that watching a bunch of Shorts makes us really happy, and that is when our brain releases dopamine, which is a happy hormone. When you are constantly watching YouTube Shorts, you are going through this continuous process. And that is when it becomes an addiction. It has been seen that watching Shorts releases dopamine in our body and mind, like this specific feeling. So, they tend to do the same thing that leads to the release of dopamine in our brains. Therefore, our brain recognizes it as a reward and pleasure. When your brain is continuously getting rewards, it will definitely get addicted to this. And that is why watching Shorts have become an addiction to most people. As it goes on a loop, people become more dependent on such content, which is definitely not very healthy for anyone.

• Shrinking attention span:

Currently, it is coming to see that every individual is facing a lot of problems regarding a shrinking attention span. Previously, even watching videos on YouTube was different. People had to watch a minute-long video to feel entertained or get that dopamine hit. Now, every 30 seconds, they are achieving the same feeling. The difference is that, previously, they had to spend more time, and now they do not have to do that anymore. So, as it going on for quite some time, our brains have become used to the attention span of 30 seconds. Now, if there is any video more than a minute, we do not have the patience to watch it till the end. It has become like this because our brains have become trained to consume new content every 30 seconds. It has made a great impact on our attention span. Now, it is coming to see that people are not getting to watch movies in a concentrated manner, read a book, or do some painting. It is the trend of watching 30-second videos, which has led to the shrinking attention span.

• Impulsive decision making:

Watching too much YouTube Shorts has made a massive impact on our brains and their thought process as well. It is coming to see that, as the overall attention span has reduced a lot, people are not able to focus on anything for a long time. They now find it really difficult to pay attention to a specific thing for a long time. And that is why it has led to impulsive decision-making. People are now not even thinking much about making big decisions in life. It is now more like gambling behavior, which is quite a matter of concern. Our brains have trained themselves for rapid gratification. People now have no patience in waiting for long-term rewards. They are now more engrossed in quick results. It has started because of short-form videos like YouTube Shorts.

• Poor sleep quality:

It cannot be denied how engaging the Shorts are. Once you start watching a video, you will keep on watching one video after another for hours without even understanding. It is a continuous process, which is immensely addictive. Currently, it is coming to see that this type of video consumption is causing poor sleep quality. All the users who prefer to watch such videos at night face a lot of troubles in getting sleep at night. As they are so into the videos, they do not even realize that the blue light causes more mental stimulation, which works like a barrier. When your brain is so stimulated, it doesn’t get the chance to produce melatonin. So, it keeps the brain active and causes poor sleep. Thus, if you also go through such difficulties, then you must avoid watching YouTube Shorts or any kind of videos like this before sleeping.

• Rapid mood swings, anxiety, and stress:

When your attention span is so low, you will definitely not have a high tolerance level. Whenever something does not go according to your way, you will not even have the tolerance to give it much thought or understand how to make the situation better. As your tolerance level is low, there are more chances that you will get irritated and have more mood swings. Now, most people are experiencing rapid emotional shifts, which is causing more anxiety and leading to more stress. If it goes on for a long time, you can also get more overwhelmed and witness mental health disruptions. Being so engrossed in YouTube Shorts can cause various problem that messes up our mental health.

• Reduced productivity:

Watching too much YouTube Shorts can make a huge impact on your productivity as well. For better productivity, you need to focus more and concentrate on a specific task. If you cannot do so, you will never be able to fulfil your work. But, as watching too many short-form videos cause shrinking attention span and focus, you do not get the opportunity to concentrate, and that leads to reduced productivity. In addition to that, it also causes a feeling of restlessness and mental fog. This way, your mind finds it even more difficult to concentrate for a long time. If you do not take any conscious action, then getting out of it and improving the state becomes much more difficult. Thus, it can be definitely said that watching more YouTube Shorts can lead to reduced productivity.

Too much Shorts consumption is definitely bad for anyone. You can watch the videos, but you need to be extremely conscious of how much time you can or want to spend. If you control this whole process, then you will be able to avoid these negative impacts. You can also make a few changes for a positive outcome. Here are a couple of them, which can be helpful for you-

• Focus more on creativity:

It has been seen that people start watching Shorts whenever they have some free time. You can change it a little bit if you focus more on creativity, like painting, listening to music, reading, or writing. Try to do something where you not require watching any Shorts. If you invest your time in such activities, then you will be able to see much better results. This way, you will not be dependent on YouTube Shorts that much.

• Learn more new things:

When you are trying to avoid every negative possibility of watching Shorts, you can direct your attention to learning new things. If you keep on working on new ideas or hobbies, then you will be able to utilize your time in a much better place. It will help you to work on your skills and achieve a positive outcome. Thus, it is quite a fruitful result that can be more helpful for you.

Watching YouTube Shorts can definitely make a negative impact on everyone. If you can become more conscious and take the right actions, you will be able to attain a better result more easily.