4 Tips To Counter Brain Rot in 2026, According to Medical School Professors

This story is a part of our Ask a Professor series, in which Georgetown faculty members break down complex issues and use their research to inform trending conversations, from the latest pop culture hits to research breakthroughs and critical global events shaping our world.

If you spend several hours a day scrolling social media and consuming short videos, you might feel like you're starting to lose your ability to focus or think critically.

In recent years, people have come to know this as brain rot, a slang phrase to describe the supposed deterioration of brain function caused by the consumption of endless, and often meaningless, digital content.

Despite rising screen timeand a seemingly infinite supply of short videos, there are many ways to exercise the mind and possibly stem the effects of brain rot.

We asked a few professors from the School of Medicine for their best advice on how to keep the brain healthy, from exercise tips to nutrition recommendations and meditation starters.

Ask a Professor: How to Keep Your Mind Healthy in 2026

Move Your Body

"While it's obvious to everyone that exercise helps maintain a healthy body, exercise actually has surprising beneficial effects on the brain. In my lab, we have found that aerobic exercise makes it easier to activate dopamine neurons in the brain. Because dopamine is critical for good mood, quick learning and coordinated movement, exercise boosting the excitability of these neurons is hugely beneficial for brain function."

Rebekah Evans is an assistant professor in the Department of Neuroscience who researches the cells and circuits that degenerate in neurological disorders like Parkinson's disease.

Get Consistent Sleep, Get Outdoors and Meditate

"Important work is going on in the brain during sleep, such as consolidation of memories and other processes that improve attention and concentration. Keeping a regular sleep schedule maximizes the chance for sleep to be most impactful, in addition to avoiding excessive alcohol or caffeine. It appears that during sleep, harmful waste products are washed away in the brain's fluid chambers.

Exposure to green space (trees and green-leaf plants) also seems to be associated with brain health, such as improved processing speed and attention, and decreased stress and risk for depression.

Lastly, meditation has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety and improve cognitive functioning, such as working memory accuracy and sustained attention. For example, regular meditators had larger areas of grey matter in the brainthan age-matched controls. Our research at Georgetown University Medical Center's Anxiety Disorders Research Programfound a significant decrease in stress, anxiety and depression symptomsafter participating in an eight-week mindfulness meditation class, which was equal to a decrease in these symptoms in the group placed on an antidepressant instead. We also found an increase in functional connectivity between different brain regions in functional MRI scans after meditation training."

Elizabeth Hoge is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the director of the Anxiety Disorders Research Program.

Feed Your Brain Healthy Food

"Brain health and healthy aging are deeply connected. Many recommendations for healthy aging also support brain health across adulthood. Choosing fruits and vegetables over highly processed foods or foods high in saturated fat and added sugar, staying physically active and prioritizing mental and physical rest can help reduce inflammation and support optimal brain function as we age."

Susan Schembre is an associate professor in the Department of Oncology and a nutrition expert who specializes in diabetes, inflammation, obesity and their links to cancer.

"The best and most effective strategies to support brain health as you age are the same practices to support heart health. Yes, what is good for your heart is also good for your brain! This includes a Mediterranean-style diet rich in fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and fish. It very much includes exercise, and it includes healthy sleep habits, including those mentioned above. Why a focus on sleep? Beyond the stress of a poor night's sleep, insufficient sleep significantly impacts your appetite, increasing the daily caloric intake of sugary, salty and fatty snacks and foods, leading to weight gain. Not surprisingly, maintaining a healthy weight is yet another heart-healthy, brain-healthy practice."

Thomas Sherman is a professor in the Department of Pharmacology & Physiology who studies nutrition, metabolism and molecular neuroendocrinology.

Get Your Hearing Checked and Stay Social

"This Lancet review on risk factors for dementiasuggests that up to 45% of dementia may be preventable - or at least delayable. The most impactful interventions shown here are: one, addressing hearing loss in middle age, and two, addressing social isolation in late life.

Increasing evidence links hearing loss with dementia, although causal relationships remain to be determined. Hearing loss should prompt a formal hearing assessment and evaluation for hearing aids as needed. Basically, if you need hearing aids, use them! Avoid depriving your brain of sensory input. Since hearing loss also leads to social isolation, hearing aids may also alleviate this risk factor.

Older individuals should maintain healthy social relationships with friends and family and seek opportunities to develop new social contacts. Moving to a group living situation instead of living at home alone may promote more social engagement."

R. Scott Turner is a professor in the Department of Neurology and director of the Memory Disorders Program who studies cognitive disorders.