Portuguese 
Spanish 
Study reveals how technological hyperstimulation and excessive screen use can compromise cognitive health and accelerate the decline of brain health.
The increasingly frequent use of technologies to perform simple everyday tasks has raised concerns among mental health and neuroscience experts. According to researchers, continuous exposure to multiple digital stimuli can promote what is known as technological hyperstimulation, a phenomenon associated with compulsive use of electronic devices that can compromise important cognitive functions over time.
Research published by Vitória Gomes in the USP Journal on July 8, 2026, highlights that this behavior is related to techno-addiction, a term used to describe behavioral dependence caused by excessive use of technological means. Social networks, digital platforms, and tools based on artificial intelligence contribute to keeping the user connected for increasingly longer periods.
How technological hyperstimulation affects the brain
According to psychiatrist Cristiane Von Werne Baes, from the Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences at the Ribeirão Preto Medical School (FMRP-USP), constant exposure to digital stimuli activates mechanisms linked to the brain’s reward system.
-
After three years living in a van, a couple bought an abandoned historic house and had to deal with mold, damaged plumbing, raccoons, and heavy cleaning before moving in.
-
In the city that the market called “road cockroach,” between Balneário Camboriú and Florianópolis, he launched a planned neighborhood worth R$ 1 billion with a marina for 90 boats and sold 80% of the lots in the first phase in 1 week.
-
At a depth of 5,000 meters, where there is no sunlight, researchers found ancient DNA preserved in the mud of the South Atlantic and discovered signs of organisms that did not match known records.
-
At 77 years old, a retired woman who never tires of learning completes her second degree in design in Ceará and moves people by revealing the help of her 98-year-old mother in the final project.
According to the specialist, notifications, short videos, and other highly stimulating content favor the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter related to sensations of pleasure and gratification. When this process occurs repeatedly, the brain tends to seek new stimuli more frequently, increasing the time spent in digital environments.
Impacts of excessive screen use on cognitive health
In addition to influencing digital consumption habits, technological hyperstimulation can also affect important aspects of cognitive health and social relationships.
Cristiane Von Werne Baes explains that many platforms are developed to keep the user’s attention for as long as possible. As a consequence, in-person activities, family interactions, friendships, and leisure moments may lose space in the routine.
The specialist also highlights that studies have been associating excessive screen use with an increase in symptoms such as:
- anxiety;
- stress;
- irritability;
- depression;
- feeling of loneliness;
- social isolation.
These associations reinforce the need for more conscious use of technologies, especially among children and adolescents.
The role of algorithms and artificial intelligence in technological hyperstimulation
A large part of digital platforms uses algorithms capable of analyzing user behavior to recommend new content, videos, publications, and services.
These systems use predictive models based on browsing history and interactions within the platforms. As a result, the user receives increasingly personalized recommendations, increasing the chances of staying connected for extended periods.
According to experts, this model is part of the so-called attention economy, whose goal is to increase user engagement in digital environments.
Cognitive decline and gradual loss of skills
Professor João Flávio de Almeida, a specialist in Society, Science, and Technology at the University of Ribeirão Preto (Unaerp), emphasizes that all technology presents benefits but can also generate negative effects when used without balance.
According to him, the brain needs to be constantly stimulated to maintain certain skills. As an example, the researcher explains that a student accustomed to writing their own texts may reduce this practice by frequently resorting to artificial intelligence to produce content.
In the professor’s assessment, the reduction of this intellectual exercise may favor a gradual process of loss of skills related to writing and creativity, a phenomenon he calls cognitive decline.
Digital education is pointed out as the main prevention strategy
Experts emphasize that the solution is not to abandon technology, but to develop more balanced usage habits.
For Cristiane Von Werne Baes, digital education should start from childhood, allowing children and adolescents to understand how the mechanisms used by platforms to capture and maintain attention work.
Among the main recommendations highlighted by researchers are:
- develop critical thinking about the use of technologies;
- encourage reading from the early years of life;
- balance screen exposure time;
- strengthen face-to-face relationships and family interaction;
- use digital resources consciously and moderately.
Technological hyperstimulation: the challenge of balance in the digital age
The advancement of technologies has profoundly transformed the way people study, work, and communicate. At the same time, experts warn that excessive and continuous use of digital devices can have impacts on cognitive health and emotional well-being.
Although technologies offer numerous benefits, researchers argue that preserving moments of reading, reflection, creativity, and social interaction remains essential to stimulate the brain and promote a healthier relationship with the digital environment.
