We are a generation of under-active, overstimulated, miserable individuals, yet we have access to the most advanced levels of technology that has ever existed. But, if everything has “gotten easier,” why are more people struggling with anxiety, depression, and poor mental health? A recent report by Brookings states that we are living in a “brain-negative economy” where the most convenient, and accessible lifestyle habits are all bad for our brains. Here’s a list of all the ways modern society is hurting our brain health.
1. Most convenient food is unhealthy
The most convenient, cheapest food is bad for us, and bad for our brains. It’s much easier to grab a hamburger for a snack, microwave a meal, or order a takeaway than it is to prepare and cook a nutritious meal with protein and fresh vegetables. This means people are missing out on essential brain nutrients in favor of low-quality foods that are more likely to include harmful ingredients like trans fats, high salt, and artificial additives.
2. It costs money to stay fit
We have to pay to go to a gym to exercise, but social media, which encourages us to sit stationary and scroll for hours in isolation, is completely free. Therefore, which option are people more likely to choose? The one least healthy for our brains…social media scrolling.
3. Corporate work keeps us sedentary
Exercise is good for us because it boosts blood flow, oxygen, and nutrients to our brains, but, the nature of corporate office work keeps us in a stationary position for hours every day. Movement is synonymous with health, and anything that sits still for too long doesn’t usually have health and vitality. Even water needs to keep moving or it becomes stagnant, and humans are no different.
4. We’re over-exposed to blue light
Most of us now spend several hours a day staring at artificial blue light from screens, whether it’s a TV, laptop, or a smartphone, few of us escape it. Our brains function on internal rhythms linked to light and dark. While bright light stimulates our brains for awake-ness, it also suppresses sleep chemicals like melatonin. On the other hand, darkness quietens the brain and encourages melatonin production. Hence the insomnia epidemic.
5. We’re overloaded with information
Thanks to the internet and social media, humans are experiencing an information overload. Our brains aren’t built to hear about every global catastrophe on a daily basis or watch multiple episodes on Netflix while looking at TikTok videos of cats and reading emails at the same time, but most of us do it.
6. We’re socially stimulated, while socially isolated
Research suggests that our brains need real-life social connections for cognitive wellness, and social isolation and loneliness are linked to neurological conditions like dementia, and deafness. But, despite being more connected than ever by online social media apps, this has reduced people’s real-life social interactions, and we are more likely to DM someone than call them, or meet up with them in person.
7. We deal with negative online trolling
Our brains don’t like conflict, and negative comments or abusive language can be perceived as a threat by our nervous system, which causes stress, and can lower our mood. But, the anonymous nature of online spaces increases people’s tendency to display aggression towards others, as there are no perceived consequences.
8. We’re affected by the news cycle
Research shows that negative experiences have a stronger impact on our brains than positive ones. This is an evolutionary adaption, which makes us pay more attention to bad things, as these carry the most threat to our safety and survival. However, that does not mean that we need to hear about every landslide, earthquake, and bank robbery in the world, especially not on a repetitive 24-hour loop of news.
9. We don’t get enough natural light
Our brains function in alignment with the sleep, and wake cycles of nature, and our brains need natural sunlight for optimum health. Not many people know that without sunshine, our brains can’t produce certain essential chemicals, and this is why the famous neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman constantly talks about the benefits of natural daylight.
10. We’re not surrounded by nature
The natural habitat of humans is not gray concrete jungles, and research shows that spending time in green spaces and nature has significant benefits for our physical and mental health. Just as we emphasize the importance of returning animals to their natural habitats, maybe we should take some of our own advice and prioritize returning to our natural habitat of nature more often.
11. We’re operating with outdated brain software
We are using an ancient brain in the modern world, and it’s no underestimation to say that we are using a prehistoric brain to navigate the digital age. Therefore, we are expecting a lot from some pretty outdated software. That’s probably why we are seeing some glitches in the matrix as our 3000-year-old brain struggles to keep up, with its limited capacity for the multiple functions we demand from it.
12. We spread ourselves thin by multitasking
With the advancement of technology and gadgets, most of us rarely do one thing at a time anymore. For example, it’s common to be talking on the phone while preparing food, or shopping, and while we might be under the illusion that this is somehow more efficient, for our brains, it’s not. According to Earl Miller, a neuroscientist from MIT, multitasking has a cognitive cost, with an increase in stress hormones being one of them.
13. What can we do to change?
So far, we’ve focused on what’s wrong with our brain-poor economy, but don’t be dismayed, because there is hope for a brain-positive transformation. Scientists studying this very subject have identified three ways that we can turn things around, and start proactively cultivating a brain-positive society. Let’s look at them:
14. Making clean, healthy foods cheaper and more accessible
Instead of a burger costing $1, while a salad costs $11, governments need to incentivize businesses to flip these costing models around. By making nutritious, brain-beneficial foods cheaper, and easier to access, we will start to see positive improvements in people’s brain health, mood, and cognitive wellbeing.
15. Creating healthier online environments
Introducing better safeguards, and some form of consequences for bullying, and/or aggressive behavior online would foster more positive online environments. Furthermore, verification of reliable information and reduced exposure to negative content would all go a long way toward improving brain health.
16. Educating people earlier about brain health
The research study by Brookings proposes that early education about brain health, and emotional intelligence would be a big step towards creating a brain-positive society. This would ensure that the next generation values their brains and feels encouraged to design their lifestyles, work, and play, environments accordingly.
