A neurologist has shared a warning over a common daily activity many of us engage in without a second thought, as it could have detrimental effects on our brain health.
Lots of us spend hours of the day endlessly scrolling through your social media on our phone. However, expert Dr Bing has urged followers to reconsider this habit. In a viral TikTok video, he shared how excessive phone use can harm more than just your eyesight. “It doesn’t just tire your eyes out,” he said. “It messes with the chemicals in your brain that control focus and mood.”
Dr Bing elaborated on the issue, saying: “Every time you scroll, click or swipe, your brain releases a small burst of dopamine, which is the feel good chemical that rewards you for things that feel satisfying.”
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He warned that the relentless barrage of notifications and updates bombards your brain with dopamine, leading to a dependency on quick bursts of the hormone. “Over time it becomes harder to focus on slower, more demanding tasks like reading or problem solving,” he noted. “This is because they don’t give you the same instant pay-off.”
The doctor also highlighted the impact of social media on another hormone, oxytocin, which fosters feelings of connection. Unlike genuine social interactions that boost oxytocin levels, Dr Bing pointed out that “instead of boosting oxytocin like real-life social interactions do, scrolling through pictures of other people’s ‘perfect lives’ can leave you feeling anxious, lonely or not good enough.”
He concluded: “The more time you spend comparing yourself to others online the worse your mood can get. At the same time, all that screen usage overstimulates your brain and wears it out leading to mental fatigue. This happens because your brain’s reward system gets out of balance.
“Studies have shown that too much dopamine can make real life experiences like spending time with friends or finishing a challenging project feel less satisfying, leaving you restless and emotionally drained.” As an alternative way of boosting your oxytocin, Dr Bing recommends exercising or spending time with friends to give your brain the chance to “reset”.
“You’re 100% correct,” one of Dr Bing’s followers penned in response. “I find that I have to reread a lot because I can’t focus.” A second agreed: “I recognise it is a problem for sure! 2025 I have a goal to reduce my phone time drastically.”
A third shared: “That’s what I experienced! I spent 24 days without using my phone I enjoyed my day so much little things and going out in the sun felt energised and didn’t miss it at all.” Whilst a fourth person issued their own warning from experience: “It’s greatly impacted how our kids learn at school. As a middle school teacher, I can’t provide the instant gratification they get from scrolling.”