All in the mind? The surprising truth about brain rot
UC faculty Anthony Chemero cited in article on whether technology denigrates brain function
The human brain is capable of extraordinary function, experts in human and brain behavior say in an article by The Guardian that explores the impact of technology on brain function.
The article states that while it seems like common sense that brain function would decline by the exposure to and reliance on technology —from cell phones to smart cars — there is no definitive research pointing to technology’s enhancement of brain function or the decrease, the latter of which is referred to in popular culture as brain rot.
“Over the history of hominids, many of our biggest challenges have involved adapting to new kinds of environments – and that’s being smart. This is just a new environment we’re in,” Anthony Chemero, a UC professor of philosophy and psychology, says in the article.
Chemero has written extensively on how technology allows the mind to make space for new information: "Technology may change cognition without necessarily harming it."
One example he often cites is how people no longer need to memorize phone numbers because that information is now stored in their cell phones.
“What we really want from technology is to do the things that are difficult and boring, such as lots of complex calculation, rote memorisation: humans just aren’t very good at that without technology.”
Featured image at top by UC Marketing + Brand/Andrew Higley.
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
UC professor leads film students to the future
April 6, 2026
As a kid, at the age of 10, Marty Schiff’s dad gave him a Kodak Brownie movie camera, and that led to a lifetime of creating stories on film. He spent his summers with that camera, making eight-millimeter movies, with a camera that taught him how to thread a projector, change the film in a closet, and tell stories with the medium he loved. “I always wanted to go to Hollywood,” Schiff says. So later he did, with $200 in his pocket, and began a career that has spanned acting, directing, producing—pretty much everything with the exception of costumes (“I’m not really good with a sewing machine,” he says).
Scientists discover how snakes stand upright without limbs
April 3, 2026
Smithsonian magazine highlights a study co-authored by UC Professor Bruce Jayne, an expert in snake locomotion, about how snakes stand upright without arms or legs.
UC CubeCats satellite makes hiss-tory at NASA
April 2, 2026
UC Students Launch First Satellite April 8. Help Send Bearcats to NASA Liftoff as they make history for UC and Ohio.