Students’s Learning Motivation Declines Due to Brain Rot, IPB University Psychologist Discusses Solutions
The phenomenon of brain rot due to excessive exposure to digital content is increasingly worrying. Research shows that brain rot has a significant correlation with decreased learning motivation among students.
IPB University Psychologist Nur Islamiah M. Psi, PhD explained that the decline in student motivation is due to changes in learning patterns due to exposure to instant digital content.
According to her, students who are accustomed to instant information consumption tend to lose interest in academic tasks that require more effort, such as reading long materials or solving complex problems.
“They prefer activities that provide instant gratification over learning processes that require perseverance. As a result, intrinsic motivation to learn decreases, as they find it more difficult to follow a longer and more in-depth learning process,” said the figure who is usually called ‘Mrs. Mia’.
In addition, Mia said, mental fatigue due to digital overstimulation makes students less motivated to actively participate in learning.
“When the brain is constantly receiving stimuli from social media or entertainment content, more static learning activities feel boring and less interesting,” she explained.
This is exacerbated by reduced reflective ability. Students become less able to understand the long-term goals of learning and focus more on short-term gratification.
“If not addressed, this condition can lead to low engagement in the learning process, difficulty in understanding the material, decreased achievement and increased stress and anxiety related to academic tasks,” she said.
To overcome the impact of brain rot on students’ focus and thinking endurance, Mia suggested that learning methods need to be made more interesting and involve them actively.
One way is with project-based learning, where students are invited to solve real problems by finding solutions independently.
“With this method, they don’t just receive information, but also learn to think critically, connect ideas, and understand the material more deeply,” she said.
Mia added that open discussion and reflection can also help students get used to sorting and analyzing information, so that they do not easily believe in all the information they find on the internet.
To make learning more fun, the gamification method, which is the learning process by applying game elements, can be applied. For example, by providing challenges, point systems or rewards to boost student motivation without relying on the instant gratification of social media.
Other options include focus training such as mindfulness and time management techniques, which can also help students control distractions and improve concentration.
“Mindfulness trains students to be more aware of what they are doing, for example by fully focusing on one task at a time, taking a pause to breathe before switching to another task, or using the pomodoro technique, which is studying for 25 minutes, then taking a 5-minute break, this technique can be done for 2-5 sessions as needed,” said Mia.
In addition, time management will help students organize an effective study schedule, such as prioritizing tasks, avoiding unnecessary multitasking, and limiting the use of social media during study sessions. (dr) (IAAS/RMH)
