Oxford University Press announced 'brain rot' as the Word of The Year for 2024. The word garnered over 37,000 public votes from a shortlist of six words. Oxford experts observed that the term ...

Oxford's word of the year is "brain rot," describing the impact of overconsumption of online content. Two doctors discuss the science behind the dangerous activity and how to prevent it.

There’s a name for that feeling you get after spending too long scrolling aimlessly, and Oxford University Press (OUP) has chosen it as its word for the year for 2024. “Brain rot” took the ...

How to avoid brain rot. There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for avoiding brain rot, according to Bobinet. The key is learning what works best for the individual, she said, ...

It is also defined as "something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration," Oxford announced in a news release. "'Brain rot' speaks to one of the perceived dangers of virtual life ...

From 2023 to 2024, the term “brain rot” increased in usage frequency by 230%, according to Oxford University Press. Leila Register / NBC News. Dec. 2, 2024, 2:17 PM EST.

Brain rot may have surged in the past year, but its use dates back to 1854, when Henry David Thoreau referenced it in his book Walden. He, too, wielded it to describe a diminished mental acuity.

The term brain rot first appeared in Henry David Thoreau's famous Walden, according to the Oxford University Press. How did he use it — and what might he have made of its modern meaning?