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Short form video might impact impulse control and decision making

Ever find yourself endlessly scrolling through short videos, only to realize you’ve lost track of time?

Do you find it hard to stop scrolling—even when you know you should?

The vast majority of college students view short form video content, for several hours per day, primarily YouTube, Instagram, Tik Tok, etc (1).

A new study published in NeuroImage suggests that this behavior might be related to brain changes from viewing short form videos(2).

What Was the Study? (2)

Researchers combined behavioral modeling and brain imaging, they explored how people with higher short form video addiction (SVA) symptoms respond to risky decisions (2).

What were the results? (2)

  • Less sensitivity to loss: People with more SVA symptoms were less deterred by potential losses in a gambling task.
  • Faster decision-making, suggesting more impulsive choices.
  • Brain activation shifts: SVA symptoms were linked to reduced activity in the precuneus (a region tied to self-reflection and value evaluation) during gain processing, and increased activity in motor and sensory regions during loss processing.

What Does This Mean? (3)

  • This study suggests that excessive short-video use may alter how the brain weighs risks and rewards (2).
  • You might be more likely to chase instant gratification and less likely to pause and consider long-term consequences (2).

There are many strategies to use technology in healthy ways (4) some of them include:

  • Set limits: Limit technology for entertainment to 1 hour per day (5)
  • Disconnect, pause, breathe and collect yourself: Instead of grabbing your phone during spare time, disconnect from electronics to reflect, recharge, relax; and collect yourself (3).
  • Schedule screen free time for nutritious meals and atleast 8 hours of sleep as this can benefit many aspects of physical and mental health
  • Physical activity: Movement, exercise, playing sports can also help address the negative mental health effects of excessive sedentary behavior and screen time.
  • Mindful technology use: Instead of mindless “infinite” scrolling, consider your goal before starting a device or program (4).
  • Schedule time to connect with others

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA
OSU-CCS Psychiatrist
Contact: patel.2350@osu.edu

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes.  With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. https://info.mssmedia.com/blog/social-media-habits-of-college-students
  2. Chang Liu, Jinlian Wang, Hanbing Li, Qianyi Shangguan, Weipeng Jin, Wenwei Zhu, Pinchun Wang, Xuyi Chen, Qiang Wang,
    Loss aversion and evidence accumulation in short-video addiction: A behavioral and neuroimaging investigation,
    NeuroImage,Volume 313, 2025,121250, ISSN 1053-8119, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2025.121250.
  3. Ballard D. Connected and content: Managing healthy technology use. American Psychological Association.  https://www.apa.org/topics/healthy-technology-use
  4. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students Chapter 8. Technology, media, and mental health.
  5. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/?p=855

Accupuncture for PTSD?

Exercise, nutrition, sleep strategies, have been shown to help improve a variety of mental health conditions (1).

A previous post discussed yoga for ptsd (2). This post looks at a recent study using acupuncture for ptsd (3)

What is PTSD? (4)

According to the National Institute of Mental health, Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (4):

  • Is a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary, or dangerous event
  • The main symptoms of PTSD include traumatic experience, arousal/anxiety and re-experiencing symptoms, thought or mood disturbances
  • Treatment typically involves counseling and or medications
  • Learn more about signs, symptoms and treatment of ptsd here: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd

What was the study? (3)

In a randomized trial of 93 veterans with combat-related PTSD compared twice-weekly acupuncture for 24 sessions compared to sham acupuncture with superficial needle insertion (2).

What were the results ?(3)

In an 80 point clinician administered symptom scale, the acupuncture group showed a 14.5 point reduction from baseline vs versus 7.5 point reduction for the sham group (2).

What are some caveats?

  • This is 1 small study and further study is needed
  • Results in the veteran population may not necessarily generalize to other populations such as college students
  • There are other studies showing benefits of acupuncture for ptsd (5,6,7,8)
  • It is unclear which patients with ptsd may benefit from acupuncture as a treatment option.
  • Due to limited evidence, this service may not be covered by insurance for ptsd.

Additional resources for PTSD:

By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA OSU-CCS Psychiatrist

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

 

References

  1. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students Chapter 9: Exercise strategies to improve mental health
  1. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/2024/05/31/yoga-for-ptsd/
  1. Hollifield M, Hsiao AF, Smith T, et al. Acupuncture for Combat-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry 2024; 81:545.
  2. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
  1. Engel  CC, Cordova EH, Benedek  DM,  et al.  Randomized effectiveness trial of a brief course of acupuncture for posttraumatic stress disorder.   Med Care. 2014;52(12)(suppl 5):S57-S64. doi:1097/MLR.0000000000000237
  2. Kim  SH, Schneider SM, Kravitz  L, Mermier  C, Burge  MR.  Mind-body practices for posttraumatic stress disorder.   J Investig Med. 2013;61(5):827-834. doi:2310/JIM.0b013e3182906862
  3. King  HC, Spence DL, Hickey  AH, Sargent  P, Elesh  R, Connelly  CD.  Auricular acupuncture for sleep disturbance in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder: a feasibility study.   Mil Med. 2015;180(5):582-590. doi:7205/MILMED-D-14-00451
  4. Moiraghi  C, Poli  P, Piscitelli  A.  An observational study on acupuncture for earthquake-related post-traumatic stress disorder: the experience of the Lombard Association of Medical Acupuncturists/Acupuncture in the world, in Amatrice, Central Italy.   Med Acupunct. 2019;31(2):116-122. doi:10.1089/acu.2018.1329

Yoga for PTSD

Exercise has been shown to help improve a variety of  mental health conditions (1, 2).

A recent study wanted to see if  yoga can help with  Post traumatic stress disorder, also known as PTSD (3).

What is PTSD (4)?

According to the National Institute of Mental health (PTSD) (4):

What was the study (3)?

After filtering through over 12,000 results, a review of 66 studies and 24 controlled studies were meta-analyzed.

What were the results (3)?

  • The review showed that both mindfulness and YOGA benefited ptsd symptoms regardless of the type of trauma experienced (3).
  • Benefit was greater if yoga or mindfulness was done more than 8 weeks (3).

How much and how often should yoga be done to benefit ptsd?

There is evidence supporting yoga done 1-2 times per week for 60 to 75 minutes per session to benefit PTSD (5).

What are some caveats?

  • There are many forms of yoga.  Students may find some forms of yoga more helpful than others.
  • Check with your healthcare provider to make sure that doing yoga is safe and appropriate for you.

Additional resources regarding Yoga:

  • Yoga classes through your school
  • Online resources for yoga
  • Yoga classes in the community such as:  gym, health and fitness club, yoga center or YMCA, community or religious organization, etc.

What are some precautions?

  • It may be best to check with your healthcare provider to make sure it’s safe for you’re to start an exercise program.
  • Individuals with a history of disordered eating or disordered exercise should check with their health professional before exercising.
  • It may be wise to stop exercise and seek professional help if you notice:
    • Increased depression, disordered eating, and other mental health concerns due to exercise.
    • Injury, pain, or decreased motivation
    • Obsessive behaviors
    • Other symptoms.
  • Exercise may not help without proper nutrition, so it may be wise to learn about proper nutrition and proper exercise technique, and exercise/nutrition plans, before starting to exercise.
  • It may be helpful to gradually start exercising to give yourself time to adjust to an active lifestyle.
  • It might take weeks months or longer for some people to get used to and enjoy the minimum activity guidelines.
  • Occasional weeks without exercise or light activity may be important to prevent injury.
  • Figuring out what works best for you may give you lasting benefits.

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By Ryan S Patel DO, FAPA OSU-CCS Psychiatrist

Disclaimer: This article is intended to be informative only. It is advised that you check with your own physician/mental health provider before implementing any changes. With this article, the author is not rendering medical advice, nor diagnosing, prescribing, or treating any condition, or injury; and therefore claims no responsibility to any person or entity for any liability, loss, or injury caused directly or indirectly as a result of the use, application, or interpretation of the material presented.

References:

  1. Patel R. Mental Health For College Students Chapter 9: Exercise strategies to improve mental health
  2. https://u.osu.edu/emotionalfitness/category/exercise-and-mental-health/
  1. Taylor, J., McLean, L., Korner, A., Stratton, E., & Glozier, N. (2020). Mindfulness and yoga for psychological trauma: systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, 21(5), 536–573. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2020.1760167.
  2. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd
  3. Yoga for the Treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Depression, and Substance Abuse: A Review of the Clinical Effectiveness and Guidelines [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health; 2015 Jun 22. SUMMARY OF EVIDENCE. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK304564/