We are what we eat, that’s pretty obvious with food. If your eat too much, or if you eat unhealthy food often, your body is not going to thank you. But what about our brain? It eats information. What you read, watch, listen, as well as real-world input from all senses — this is your de-facto brain diet.
How does a good informational diet look like? It turns out, we don’t have such a concept yet. We just don’t think of information this way. There is no qualitative assessment at all. “I won’t watch this movie because it’s not good for my brain” — doesn’t that sound weird?
I have invented a diet the other day. It’s called the Least Effort Diet. Basically, you eat whatever is the easiest to get, whenever you’re hungry. A burger in a joint next to subway. That cake in a coffee shop. You drink mostly soft drinks since they are next to the counter. Your breakfast is cereal, your dinner is cookies. Saves loads of time and money! Of course, your life expectancy on such a diet isn’t great.
Now think of news, TV, social media feeds, ubiqutous advertising, bestselling books that didn’t exist a year ago, blockbuster movies with plots all alike. Isn’t it the Least Effort Diet for our brain? It is the easiest information available. We don’t put much if any conscious effort into picking what to consume. Double sugar please.
The easiest way is likely the worst. This is true for food, exercise, education, career, for anything really. And I can hardly think of an easier way to consume information than what is currently considered a norm.
We are all on a junk food diet, and we don’t realise it. Total absurdity, zero awareness. Just like in the 1960s when smoking a pack a day didn’t cause much concern.
OK, media sucks. So what do I do about it?
First, if you can’t stop eating, you’re unlikely to get fit. Start small and build habits, similar to diet or exercise. First try not reading, watching or listening to anything during your commute. Resist the urge to look at your phone. This might feel very uncomfortable in the beginning, but you’ll be surprised how quickly your brain adapts and how differently it works when you stop throwing random things at it. It has evolved to work exactly like that after all!
Second, get conscious about what you consume. Did I put in any effort to find what I am reading or watching now? Did I pay for the content or spend time finding this particular source? If you didn’t, then it’s unlikely to be good for you. Price however doesn’t guarantee quality. There are great books and there are empty books. “Best-seller” doesn’t mean anything. Today’s classics weren’t best sellers when they were first published. Today’s best sellers will soon be forgotten. And most importantly, just like with food: is it good for me? Good food isn’t the best tasting one. And comfort food does not make a healthy diet. So if it’s an easy read then there probably isn’t much in it, even if it seems fascinating here and now.