Study Finds Enjoyed Short Videos Temporarily Suppress Brain’s Self-Control Network
A preregistered neuroimaging study of 56 young adults examined what happens in the brain while people watch short videos. Participants could freely skip clips they did not want to watch, allowing researchers to compare videos they finished with those they stopped early. During videos participants watched to the end, two brain regions linked to cognitive control and decision-making—the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex—showed stronger temporary deactivation than during skipped videos. The regions also became more closely coordinated while viewers watched preferred clips. People with higher resting glutamate levels in one of these control regions showed less suppression during viewing. The researchers say this may reflect an immersive, low-effort “flow-like” state rather than a loss of self-control. However, the study cannot establish long-term effects or prove that short videos cause problematic scrolling. The findings offer a possible biological explanation for why highly personalised short-video feeds can feel difficult to stop watching, but broader and longer-term studies are still needed.
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