The Cognitive Cost of Brain Rot: Indirect Effects on Depression via Burnout,Stress,and Anxiety

Abstract

In an era increasingly dominated by digital engagement, the concept of brain rot -defined by cognitive fatigue and mental exhaustion-has emerged as a critical psychological concern. Based on Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory, this study investigates the mechanism through which brain rot predicts depression. Specifically, a parallel-serial mediation model (Hayes Model 81) was tested to examine whether brain rot leads to depression via burnout (primary mediator) and subsequently through stress and anxiety (secondary parallel mediators), while controlling for emotional dysregulation. Data were collected from 439 participants (Mage = 22.15, SD = 3.89). The results confirmed a full mediation model (β = .03, p > .05; 95% CI [−.03, .08]). Brain rot did not directly predict depression but triggered a “loss spiral” by first depleting resources (burnout), which then elevated stress and anxiety, ultimately precipitating depressive symptoms. Burnout emerged as a pivotal transitional factor, while emotional dysregulation significantly intensified all psychological outcomes. These findings suggest that, alongside clinical interventions targeting burnout and emotion regulation, preventive strategies promoting conscious digital consumption and media literacy are essential to forestall the onset of cognitive fatigue.

Keywords

brain rot depression anxiety stress burnout emotional dysregulation

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adam

N. L.

Cik Soh

(2025). The cognitive consequences of digital addiction: Exploring the phenomenon of “brain rot”. Journal of Information System and Technology Management, 10(39), 120–134. https://doi.org/10.35631/JISTM.1039008

Ahmed

Walsh

E. I.

Dawel

Alateeq

Espinoza Oyarce

D. A.

Cherbuin

(2024). Social media use, mental health and sleep: A systematic review with meta-analyses. Journal of Affective Disorders, 367, 701–712. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2024.08.193

Ahmmad

Shahzad

Iqbal

Latif

(2025). Trap of social media algorithms: A systematic review of research on filter bubbles, echo chambers, and their impact on youth. Societies, 15(11), 301. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15110301

Bailenson

J. N.

(2021). Nonverbal overload: A theoretical argument for the causes of zoom fatigue. Technology, Mind, and Behavior, 2(1), 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1037/tmb0000030

Batmaz

Çelik

ve Yıldırım

(2025). Brain rot Ölçeğinin geliştirilmesi ve geçerliği (BRS-8). Online Journal of Communication and Educational Studies, 3(5), 58–80. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15676357

Berking

Wupperman

(2012). Emotion regulation and mental health: Recent findings, current challenges, and future directions. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 25(2), 128–134. https://doi.org/10.1097/YCO.0b013e3283503669

Bianchi

Schonfeld

I. S.

Laurent

(2015). Burnout–depression overlap: A review. Clinical Psychology Review, 36(2), 28–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2015.01.004

Billieux

Maurage

Lopez-Fernandez

Kuss

D. J.

Griffiths

M. D.

(2015). Can disordered mobile phone use be considered a behavioral addiction? An update on current evidence and a comprehensive model for future research. Current Addiction Reports, 2(2), 156–162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-015-0054-y

Bjureberg

Ljótsson

Tull

M. T.

Hedman

Sahlin

Lundh

L.-G.

Bjärehed

DiLillo

Messman-Moore

Gumpert

C. H.

Gratz

K. L.

(2016). Development and validation of a brief version of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale: The DERS-16. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 38(2), 284–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-015-9514-x

10.

Büyüköztürk , et al. (2014). Bilimsel araştırma yöntemleri (16. baskı). Pegem Akademi Yayıncılık.

11.

Chen

Guo

Wang

(2023). The effect of short-form video addiction on users' attention. Behaviour & Information Technology, 42(16), 2893–2910. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144929X.2022.2151512

12.

Cohen

(1988). Set correlation and contingency tables. Applied Psychological Measurement, 12(4), 425–434. https://doi.org/10.1177/014662168801200410

13.

El Jamal

Khera

(2025). Social media algorithms and teen addiction: Neurophysiological impact and ethical considerations. Cureus, 17(1), Article e77145. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.77145

14.

Donaldo

(2025). Scrolling into stagnation: A qualitative study on the perceived effects of “brain rot” among students’ communication skills. PPSDP International Journal of Education, 4(2), 225–248. https://doi.org/10.59175/pijed.v4i2.823

15.

Dong

Tang

Shang

Chen

(2024). The effect of social anxiety on teenagers' internet addiction: The mediating role of loneliness and coping styles. BMC psychiatry, 24(1), 395. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-024-05854-5

16.

Entrena‐Serrano

Degeling

Romano

Çetin

R. B.

(2025). TikTok’s research API: Problems withoutexplanations. arXiv. https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2506.09746

17.

Firth

Torous

Stubbs

Firth

J. A.

Steiner

G. Z.

Smith

Alvarez-Jimenez

Gleeson

Vancampfort

Armitage

C. J.

Sarris

(2019). The “online brain”: How the internet May be changing our cognition. World Psychiatry, 18(2), 119–129. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20617

18.

Gratz

K. L.

Roemer

(2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the difficulties in emotion regulation scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41–54. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JOBA.0000007455.08539.94

19.

Gross

J. J.

(2002). Emotion regulation: Affective, cognitive, and social consequences. Psychophysiology, 39(3), 281–291. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0048577201393198

20.

Gross

J. J.

(2015). Emotion regulation: Conceptual and empirical foundations. In Gross

J. J.

(Ed.), Handbook of emotion regulation (2nd ed., pp. 3–20). Guilford Press.

21.

Gül

(2025). Students’ struggle with digital addiction: The truth of brain rot. BMC Psychology, 13(1), 98. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03880-w

22.

Hameed

H. S.

Salim

Bhardwaj

A. B.

(2025). Integrating technology for social value: Examining the impact of zombie scrolling on loneliness, self-control, and attention in the digital era. In Proceedings of the 2025 international conference on technology enabled economic changes (InTech), 27- 28 February 2025. IEEE Xplore: 23 October 2025. https://doi.org/10.1109/InTech64186.2025.11198479

23.

Hammen

(2005). Stress and depression. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 1, 293–319. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.1.102803.143938

24.

Hancock

Liu

S. X.

Luo

Mieczkowski

(2022). Psychological well-being and social media use: A meta-analysis of associations between social media use and depression, anxiety, loneliness, eudaimonic, hedonic and social well-being. SSRN Scholarly Paper No. 4053961. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4053961

25.

Hobfoll

S. E.

(1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513

26.

Hobfoll

S. E.

(2001). The influence of culture, community, and the nested-self in the stress process: Advancing conservation of resources theory. Applied Psychology: International Review, 50(3), 337–370. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00062

27.

Holmgreen

Tirone

Gerhart

Hobfoll

S. E.

(2017). Conservation of Re-sources theory. In Cooper

C. L.

Quick

J. C.

(Eds.), The handbook of stress and health (pp. 443–457). John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118993811.ch27

28.

İdikut Özpençe

(2024). Brain rot: Overconsumption of online content (an essay on the publicness social media). Journal of Business Innovation and Governance, 7(2), 48–60. https://doi.org/10.54472/jobig.1605072

29.

Keles

McCrae

Grealish

(2020). A systematic review: The influence of social media on depression, anxiety and psychological distress in adolescents. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 79–93. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1590851

30.

Koutsimani

Montgomery

Georganta

(2019). The relationship between burnout, depression, and anxiety: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 284. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00284

31.

Kukreja

Chawla

Sagar

(2025). Brain rot’—More than just a passing linguistic trend. Asian Journal of Psychiatry, 106(1), 104441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2025.104441

32.

Kuss

D. J.

Griffiths

M. D.

(2017). Social networking sites and addiction: Ten lessons learned. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(3), 311. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph14030311

33.

Lindström

Bellander

Schultner

D. T.

Chang

Tobler

P. N.

Amodio

D. M.

(2021). A computational reward learning account of social media engagement. Nature Communications, 12(1), 1311. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19607-x

34.

Loh

K. K.

Kanai

(2016). How has the internet reshaped human cognition? The neuroscientist: A review journal bringing neurobiology. Neurology and Psychiatry, 22(5), 506–520. https://doi.org/10.1177/1073858415595005

35.

Lovibond

P. F.

Lovibond

S. H.

(1995). The structure of negative emotional states: Comparison of the depression anxiety stress scales (DASS) with the beck depression and anxiety inventories. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 33(3), 335–343. https://doi.org/10.1016/0005-7967(94)00075-U

36.

Macit

H. B.

Macit

Güngör

(2018). A research on social media addiction and dopamine driven feedback. Journal of Mehmet Akif Ersoy University Economics and Administrative Sciences Faculty, 5(3), 882–897. https://doi.org/10.30798/makuiibf.435845

37.

Malach-Pines

(2005). The burnout measure, short version. International Journal of Stress Management, 12(1), 78-88. https://doi.org/10.1037/1072-5245.12.1.78. https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2005-01974-005

38.

Mark

, et al. (2008) (Submitted for publication). The cost of interrupted work: more speed and stress. Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, 107–110. https://doi.org/10.1145/1357054.1357072

39.

Maslach

Leiter

M. P.

(2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311

40.

Maslach

Schaufeli

W. B.

Leiter

M. P.

(2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(2001), 397–422. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397

41.

Maza

M. T.

Fox

K. A.

Kwon

S. J.

Flannery

J. E.

Lindquist

K. A.

Prinstein

M. J.

Telzer

E. H.

(2023). Association of habitual checking behaviors on social media with longitudinal functional brain development. JAMA Pediatrics, 177(2), 160–167. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2022.4924

42.

McEwen

B. S.

(2017). Neurobiological and systemic effects of chronic stress. Chronic Stress, 1, 2470547017692328. https://doi.org/10.1177/2470547017692328

43.

Melamed

Shirom

Toker

Berliner

Shapira

(2006). Burnout and risk of cardiovascular disease: Evidence, possible causal paths, and promising research directions. Psychological Bulletin, 132(3), 327–353. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.132.3.327

44.

Mojtabai

(2024) (Submitted for publication). Problematic social media use and psychological symptoms in adolescents. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 59, 2271–2278. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-024-02657-7

45.

Montag

Hegelich

(2020). Understanding detrimental aspects of social media use: Will the real culprits please stand up? Frontiers in Sociology, 5, 599270. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsoc.2020.599270

46.

Montag

Lachmann

Herrlich

Zweig

(2019). Addictive features of social media/Messenger platforms and freemium games against the background of psychological and economic theories. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(14), 2612. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16142612

47.

Montag

Walla

(2016). Carpe diem instead of losing your social mind: Beyond digital addiction and why we all suffer from digital overuse. Cogent Psychology, 3(1), 1157281. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2016.1157281

48.

Neophytou

Manwell

L. A.

Eikelboom

(2021). Effects of excessive screen time on neurodevelopment, learning, memory, mental health, and neurodegeneration: A scoping review. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 19(3), 724–744. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-019-00182-2

49.

Ophir

Nass

Wagner

A. D.

(2009). Cognitive control in media multitaskers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(37), 15583–15587. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0903620106

50.

Owens

(2025). ‘It speaks to me in brain rot’: Theorising ‘brain rot’ as a genre of participation among teenagers. New Media & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448251351527

51.

Oxford University Press . (2024). Brain rot named Oxford Word of the year 2024. Oxford University Press. https://corp.oup.com/news/brain-rot-named-oxford-word-of-the-year-2024/

52.

Paas

Renkl

Sweller

(2003). Cognitive load theory and instructional design: Recent developments. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15326985EP3801_1

53.

Park

Jung

(2024). Unveiling the dynamics of binge-scrolling: A comprehensive analysis of short-form video service consumption using a stimulus-organism-response model. Telematics and Informatics, 95(CSCW2), 102200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2024.102200

54.

Perez-Oyola

J. C.

Walter-Chavez

D. M.

Zila-Velasque

J. P.

Pereira-Victorio

C. J.

Failoc-Rojas

V. E.

Vera-Ponce

V. J.

Valladares-Garrido

M. J.

(2023). Internet addiction and mental health disorders in high school students in a Peruvian region: A cross-sectional study. BMC Psychiatry, 23(1), 408. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04838-1

55.

Reinecke

Aufenanger

Beutel

M. E.

Dreier

Quiring

Stark

Wölfling

Müller

K. W.

Müller

K. W.

(2017). Digital stress over the life span: The effects of communication load and internet multitasking on perceived stress and psychological health impairments in a German probability sample. Media Psychology, 20(1), 90–115. https://doi.org/10.1080/15213269.2015.1121832

56.

Salvagioni

D. A. J.

Melanda

F. N.

Mesas

A. E.

González

A. D.

Gabani

F. L.

De Andrade

S. M.

(2017). Physical, psychological and occupational consequences of job burnout: A systematic review of prospective studies. PLoS One, 12(10), Article e0185781. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0185781

57.

Sarıçam

(2018). The psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the depression anxiety stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) in healthy control and clinical samples. Journal of Cognitive Behavioral Psychotherapies and Research, 7(1), 19–30. https://doi.org/10.5455/JCBPR.274847

58.

Satici

S. A.

Gocet Tekin

Deniz

M. E.

Satici

(2023). Doomscrolling scale: Its association with personality traits, psychological distress, social media use, and wellbeing. Applied Research in Quality of Life, 18(2), 833–847. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-022-10110-7

59.

Schonfeld

I. S.

Bianchi

(2016). Burnout and depression: Two entities or one? Journal of Clinical Psychology, 72(1), 22–37. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.22229

60.

Shanshal

S. A.

Al-Qazaz

H. K.

Saadallah

D. A.

Mohammed

S. Y.

Saber

Q. A. Y.

Ali

M. M.

Mahmmod

W. N.

(2024). Social media addiction and depression and their predictors among university students. International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, 36(2), 123–132. https://doi.org/10.1515/ijamh-2022-0111

61.

Sweller

(1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257–285. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15516709cog1202_4

62.

Sweller

Ayres

Kalyuga

(2011). Cognitive load theory. Springer Science & Business Media.

63.

Tarafdar

D’Arcy

Turel

Gupta

(2014). The dark side of information technology. MIT Sloan Management Review, 56, 61–70.

64.

Tarafdar

Ragu-Nathan

B. S.

Ragu-Nathan

T. S.

(2007). The impact of technostress on role stress and productivity. Journal of Management Information Systems, 24(1), 301–328. https://doi.org/10.2753/MIS0742-1222240109

65.

Tümkaya

Çam

Çavuşoğlu

(2009). Tükenmişlik ölçeği kisa versiyonu’nun Türkçe’ye uyarlama, geçerlik ve güvenirlik çalişmasi. Çukurova Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi, 18(1), 387–398. https://dergipark.org.tr/en/download/article-file/50519

66.

Twenge

J. M.

(2017). iGen: Why today’s super-connected kids are growing up less rebellious, more tolerant, less happy. Atria Books.

67.

Twenge

J. M.

Cooper

A. B.

Joiner

T. E.

Duffy

M. E.

Binau

S. G.

(2019). Age, period, and cohort trends in mood disorder indicators and suicide-related outcomes in a nationally representative dataset, 2005–2017. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 128(3), 185-199. https://doi.org/10.1037/abn0000410

68.

Twenge

J. M.

Joiner

T. E.

(2020). Mental distress among U.S. adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(12), 2170–2182. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23064

69.

Twenge

J. M.

Joiner

T. E.

Rogers

M. L.

Martin

G. N.

(2018). Increases in depressive symptoms, suicide-related outcomes, and suicide rates among US adolescents after 2010 and links to increased new media screen time. Clinical Psychological Science, 6(1), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167702617723376

70.

Uncapher

M. R.

K Thieu

Wagner

A. D.

(2016). Media multitasking and memory: Differences in working memory and long-term memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 23(2), 483–490. https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-015-0907-3

71.

Uncapher

M. R.

Wagner

A. D.

(2018). Minds and brains of media multitaskers: Current findings and future directions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 115(40), 9889–9896. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1611612115

72.

Vaghefi

Negoita

Lapointe

(2023). The path to hedonic information system use addiction: A process model in the context of social networking sites. Information Systems Research, 34(1), 85–110. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2022.1109

73.

Valkenburg

P. M.

van Driel

I. I.

Beyens

(2022). The associations of active and passive social media use with well-being: A critical scoping review. New Media & Society, 24(2), 530–549. https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211065425

74.

Wang

(2025). The emotional reinforcement mechanism of and phased intervention strategies for social media addiction. Behavioral Sciences, 15(5), 665. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15050665

75.

Wilmer

H. H.

Sherman

L. E.

Chein

J. M.

(2017). Smartphones and cognition: A review of research exploring the links between mobile technology habits and cognitive functioning. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 605. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00605

76.

Yang

Zhang

Diao

Sun

(2023). What motivates users to continue using current short video applications? A dual-path examination of flow experience and cognitive lock-in. Telematics and Informatics, 85(4), 102050. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2023.102050

77.

Yazgan

A. M.

(2025). The problem of the century: Brain rot. OPUS Toplum Araştırmaları Dergisi, 22(2), 211–221. https://doi.org/10.26466/opusjsr.1651477

78.

Yiğit

İ.

Guzey Yiğit

(2019). Psychometric properties of Turkish version of difficulties in emotion regulation scale-brief form (DERS-16). Current Psychology, 38(6), 1503–1511. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-017-9712-7

79.

Yousef

A. M. F.

Alshamy

Tlili

Metwally

A. H. S.

(2025). Demystifying the new dilemma of brain rot in the digital era: A review. Brain Sciences, 15(3), 283. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15030283

80.

Zhang

Wang

Ariffin

S. K.

(2024). Keep scrolling: An investigation of short video users' continuous watching behavior. Information & Management, 61(6), 104014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2024.104014

81.

Zhuang , et al. (2023) (Submitted for publication). A serial mediation model of social media addiction and college students’ academic engagement: the role of sleep quality and fatigue. BMC Psychiatry, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-023-04799-5

82.

Zou

, et al. (2017) (Submitted for publication). Definition of Substance and Non-substance Addiction. Substance and Non-substance Addiction, 21–41. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5562-1_2