Brainrot vs Brain

Short-form internet content (e.g. TikTok-style videos, memes, fast animations) is often described as “brainrot”: chaotic, rapidly changing, and highly stimulating. While widely consumed, its physiological impact remains poorly quantified. We hypothesize that visually chaotic, irregular stimuli elicit stronger and more dynamic physiological responses than regular, predictable patterns, and that short-term adaptation effects may occur over repeated exposure.

Participants will use:
a mobile application displaying visual stimuli (static patterns, smooth animations, chaotic/random sequences),
a forehead-mounted optical sensor
All measurements are non-invasive and collected during short experimental sessions.

The goal of this project is to measure and analyze physiological responses to different classes of visual stimuli presented on a smartphone. Participants will be exposed to sequences ranging from simple, regular patterns to highly chaotic, “brainrot-style” visual content. Physiological signals will be recorded using a non-invasive forehead sensor.

After three days, we aim to deliver:
a working end-to-end pipeline (stimulus → response → analysis),
visualizations, dashboards, and comparisons between stimulus classes,
data-driven conclusions (serious or semi-humorous, but grounded in data).

This project combines neuroscience, data analysis, and modern internet culture. It offers hands-on experience with real biological data while exploring timely questions about digital content and human physiology. If results are promising, the project can be extended toward a more controlled experimental study.