{"id":262728,"date":"2026-05-30T07:19:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T22:19:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tenbizt.com\/en\/news\/uncategorized\/2026\/05\/30\/is-brain-rot-ruining-your-retirement-the-hidden-cost-of-short-videos\/"},"modified":"2026-05-30T07:19:55","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T22:19:55","slug":"is-brain-rot-ruining-your-retirement-the-hidden-cost-of-short-videos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tenbizt.com\/en\/news\/beauty\/2026\/05\/30\/is-brain-rot-ruining-your-retirement-the-hidden-cost-of-short-videos\/","title":{"rendered":"Is ‘Brain Rot’ Ruining Your Retirement? The Hidden Cost of Short Videos"},"content":{"rendered":"

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To avoid a bleak old age, start by rethinking how you spend your time. Counseling expert Professor Lee Ho-seon warns that the mindless consumption of short videos is a habit older adults should especially avoid.<\/p>\n

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\n Professor Lee Ho-seon \/ YouTube ‘Money Inside’
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Speaking on the YouTube channel ‘Money Inside,’ Professor Lee singled out watching short-form clips\u2014like YouTube Shorts\u2014as one of the worst hobbies for undermining retirement. He warned that it is not merely a bit of fleeting entertainment: over time it can erode older adults\u2019 time, relationships and cognitive abilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople assume watching things on the internet costs nothing,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it all costs money. We bought the phones, and we pay the service bills.\u201d His point was that seemingly free content still carries the cost of devices and data plans\u2014and, more importantly, consumes time that cannot be recovered.<\/p>\n

Lee\u2019s larger concern is what he calls \u201cbrain rot.\u201d He describes the habit of endlessly swiping through short clips as entertaining in the moment, and that very moment is when brain rot begins to set in.<\/p>\n

\u201cBrain rot\u201d refers to a decline in mental and cognitive functioning that can follow excessive online content consumption. Repeatedly scrolling through short, sensational clips may feel enjoyable at first, but over time it lets hours slip by without leaving any meaningful memory or insight.<\/p>\n

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\u201cPeople assume they\u2019ll remember the useful bits when they watch short videos,\u201d Lee said. \u201cBut if you skip to the next clip right away, nothing sticks\u2014you\u2019re just passing time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The harm goes beyond wasted hours. Constant screen use strains the eyes and reduces opportunities for conversation. When smartphone content replaces in-person relationships, observation and dialogue, daily life inevitably narrows.<\/p>\n

Lee notes that people have a limit to how much information they can process at once. \u201cWhen we take in information, the optimal number we can handle is seven, plus or minus two,\u201d he said\u2014roughly five to nine items at a time.<\/p>\n

Fast-moving formats like Shorts easily exceed that range. \u201cShorts deliver so much information at once that you can\u2019t process it,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt becomes a meaningless way to spend time\u2014almost like sitting in a vacuum.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Lee is not rejecting fun itself. His warning is that the more people rely on the instant hits offered by short videos, the less they spend time thinking for themselves, observing the world, and talking with others.<\/p>\n

He advises people to put down their phones and look around. On the subway, for example, he said he watches people\u2019s shoes instead of his phone\u2014observing footwear and how taste reveals itself helps him stay attuned to others.<\/p>\n

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Short videos can be sweet in the short term\u2014like powdered sugar, offering immediate pleasure\u2014but repeated indulgence can quietly eat away at the time of a life. Ruined retirements often result from small, daily habits rather than dramatic failures.<\/p>\n

In later life, the goal should be to live time, not merely fill it. Instead of lingering on screen stimuli, re-engage with real people, landscapes and conversations.<\/p>\n