Brain gain: how tech can sharpen your mind

Staring at screens until your brain feels like mashed potatoes? The problem isn’t tech – it’s how you use it. From gamified apps to virtual book clubs, tech can turn ‘brain rot’ into brain gain. You just need the right tools to reboot your mind.

It’s boring when folks are whinging about screen time when they’re the ones scrolling all the time. And you’re certainly going to feel “groundhogged” if being spoiled for choice means that Netflix presents the most difficult decision you have to make that day.

Equally as annoying are studies that tell you to stop being so sedentary and get up and move. We know this. So, then what?

Addiction and boredom are not going to help the brain rot and offset dementia. Do you know what can? Behavior modification instead of behavior overhaul.

The University of South Australia has recently weighed in with new research that shows that certain sedentary activities such as reading, listening to music, playing a musical instrument or even chatting are better for us than watching TV or gaming.

As tech is often blamed for this kind of sentiment, it simply becomes a scapegoat.

Don’t do a 360; otherwise, you’ll be in the same position! So how can tech be harnessed into pivoting and changing for the better?

The mixed blessing of tech in changing habits

Mix with family over the festive season and you might have relatives scrolling screens while actors labor away in the background. Double passive consumption isn't going to get you anywhere, as you won’t pick up the movie through osmosis.

Should you be ditching the seasons of The Kissing Booth completely? Of course not. But there’s no harm in sectioning off your time as you would a normal day so you can experience “brain gain.”

In a push for bettering oneself, an activity like learning a language or other comfort-zone escapes seems like the perfect tonic. This is the best example of how to mix up your lifestyle. Apps like Duolingo are great for gamification of learning languages, Mimo for learning how to code, and Elevate for overall brain training.

A couple of days ago and I found myself completely unable to fathom how to assemble a Christmas tree holder which had a couple of parts and one screw. IKEA chairs also prove to be particularly difficult. Not sure if brain rot can be blamed here, or if instead, it might just be a lifetime of no cognitive workout.

Level up your brain: turning frustration into focus

If scientific studies recommending reading a book do nothing for motivation, then why not try a virtual book club as per Fable – an excellent interactive book community in which you can start your own book club, join an existing one, and get curated reading lists, often celebrity or expert-led.

And remember when you had to go to the library or the big city to do something extracurricular? Well, now you can simply study anything you damned well like on Coursera, Udemy, or Masterclass.

Whether it’s The science of well-being, Urban beekeeping for beginners or David Lynch teaches creativity and film – these virtual platforms have it all.

Other ways of doing this could be fitness apps with communities and challenges like Strava or Nike Training Club if you would like a solo option.

Mindfulness tech can also provide a fruitful option. Apps like Calm and Insight-Timer can compartmentalize slots like yoga, meditation, and things like stress reduction or manifesting, in an effort to quell the mind mush.

Often, apps provide the perfect excuse to procrastinate on chores as well. So, simply put – why not gamify the process with options such as Habitica and Forest? The former gamifies tasks into an RPG world, and the latter is perfect for allocating slots of 25 mins – which is basically the Pomodoro technique.

So instead of seeing a study recommending more reading being like a complete overhaul, why not get tech involved instead, as it can clearly be wired towards doing that.