0:02 This is me teaching myself Latin and
0:06 piano and cooking and herbalism and
0:09 literary theory. Why? Because social
0:11 media is rotting my brain and I want it
0:14 back. The modernist writer Virginia Wolf
0:16 once said, "Thinking is my fighting."
0:18 She was talking about fighting World War
0:20 II, but I would argue we're in the midst
0:22 of a war right now. A war for our
0:24 attention, our literacy, our
0:27 discernment, our very cognition, and
0:30 thinking is our best defense.
0:32 maybe our only defense. I never used to
0:34 be much of a social media user, but
0:37 during isolation, scrolling the feeds
0:40 became awfully seductive. Watching real
0:42 after real, Tik Tok after Tik Tok
0:44 distracted me from my loneliness. It
0:46 made me feel like I was still connected
0:48 to the world. It took me years to notice
0:51 that my memory was shot. I was reading
0:53 less. I stopped journaling and came up
0:55 with exactly zero interesting writing
0:57 ideas. I found myself constantly
1:00 wondering, "How do I get back to who I
1:03 used to be?" Little did I know that the
1:04 way back was something I've been doing
1:07 my entire life in one form or another.
1:09 And you probably have, too, learning
1:11 stuff. You don't need to go back to
1:13 school, hire a private tutor, or sign up
1:15 for some Instagram guru's business
1:17 course. As long as you have an internet
1:19 connection, a notebook, a little bit of
1:22 time, and a lot of motivation, you too
1:23 can reclaim your brain with
1:25 self-education. And by the end of this
1:26 video, you'll have a simple four-step
1:29 framework to get you started. But first,
1:31 what we talk about when we talk about
1:33 brain rot, brain rot, the Oxford
1:36 dictionary's 2024 word of the year,
1:38 which is concerning in and of itself.
1:40 The dictionary defines brain rot as the
1:42 supposed deterioration of a person's
1:45 mental or intellectual state, especially
1:47 viewed as a result of the overconumption
1:50 of material, now particularly online
1:52 content, considered to be trivial or unchallenging.
1:53 unchallenging.
1:56 also something characterized as likely
1:59 to lead to such deterioration. That's a
2:01 lot of words to say when scrolling Tik
2:04 Tok makes you dumb. Brain rot takes many
2:06 forms, but much like, shall we say,
2:09 material of an adult nature, I know it
2:11 when I see it. It's the short videos
2:14 that engage the eye, but not the brain.
2:16 It's nonsense words that delight
2:22 It's outsourcing every question you
2:25 could ever have to chat GPT. It's over
2:27 stimulation for the sake of viewer
2:30 retention. I think brain rot can also be
2:32 the act of scrolling itself, which is
2:35 more likely to ensnare the kind of
2:36 person who would click on an education
2:38 video, myself included. Maybe the
2:40 content you're scrolling past does have
2:43 some value to it. Maybe even artistry,
2:45 like a product review or a crafting
2:48 tutorial, but it's still passive
2:50 consumption that draws our attention
2:52 away from activities that would demand
2:54 more of us. Maybe you're wondering if
2:56 there's any truth to the term brain rot.
2:59 Like, sure, those Roblox storytime Tik
3:02 Toks are not making us smarter, but are
3:05 they actually hurting our brains? Well,
3:08 in the name of honesty, we don't really
3:10 know. In my research, I couldn't find
3:13 any studies conclusively linking content
3:15 consumption to cognitive decline. And
3:18 that may be because that would require a
3:20 longer term study. And this question is
3:22 still quite new. But I am aware of the
3:25 study that took the internet by storm
3:27 just a few months ago called your brain
3:29 on chat GBT which found that
3:31 participants who used LLMs to help them
3:34 write essays had less brain activity and
3:36 neural connectivity. The study is both
3:39 fascinating and disconcerting but it has
3:41 not yet been peer- reviewviewed and the
3:43 authors do clearly state that their
3:47 findings don't prove that LLM llm usage
3:49 damages brain function. But I have to
3:52 wonder, does it matter? Does it really
3:55 matter that the almighty studies aren't
3:57 here yet? You probably clicked on this
4:00 video because you remember a time when
4:03 your brain felt better and you know that
4:05 the reals and the Tik Toks and the
4:07 Twitter feeds are not giving you what
4:09 you need. In many ways, the brain is
4:13 like a muscle. You use it or lose it. I
4:15 came across an article from Utah State
4:17 University that explains brain health
4:19 very simply. The cognitive reserve
4:22 hypothesis suggests that a very healthy
4:24 high-capacity brain, a brain with high
4:26 cognitive reserve is one where there are
4:29 a lot of healthy brain cells and those
4:30 brain cells have a lot of connections
4:32 with one another. A brain with low
4:34 cognitive reserve does not have as many
4:36 connections between the brain cells and
4:39 likely has fewer healthy cells. In order
4:41 to build connections between brain cells
4:42 and increase the connections between
4:45 existing brain cells, you need to use
4:47 the cells to establish the connection
4:49 and then keep using the cells to
4:51 maintain that connection. And that I
4:53 think is the key here, maintaining the
4:56 connection. Short and easily digestible
4:58 content just isn't enough of a workout
5:00 to keep our brain cells strong. Brain
5:03 rot may not be literal rot, but it is
5:06 neglect. Why self-education is the
5:08 antidote. It's so simple that saying it
5:11 almost sounds stupid. Actively using
5:15 your brain is good. But seriously,
5:17 thinking is our fighting. If we want to
5:20 build larger muscles, we work them out.
5:23 So too, if we want caked up brain cells,
5:25 we need to give them a challenge to chew
5:28 on. The article I just mentioned lists
5:30 learning new information and processing
5:32 it at a deeper level as its top brain
5:34 stimulating activity. An article called
5:36 Lifelong Learning in the Delaware
5:38 Journal of Public Health looked at the
5:39 link between learning and dementia
5:42 prevention and found that mentally
5:44 stimulating activities can promote the
5:45 production of new neurons and neural
5:48 connections, which in turn promotes
5:50 problem solving, critical thinking, and
5:52 creativity. So, the opposite of brain
5:54 rot. Obviously, you can get the same
5:56 benefits of education in a classroom,
5:59 but I recommend self-education for a few
6:01 reasons. And the first of which is
6:04 accessibility. School is expensive. My
6:06 bank account knows that full well. And
6:09 it takes time. Usually a set schedule
6:11 over a period of weeks or months that
6:13 you, as an adult, which according to my
6:16 analytics, you almost definitely are
6:18 might not have. When you're directing
6:19 your own learning, you can find
6:21 materials that work within your budget,
6:23 and you can slip studying into pockets
6:26 of time. And as I'll discuss more in a
6:29 minute, we are spoiled for resources and
6:31 access to knowledge has never been more
6:34 widespread than it is right now. But the
6:36 real reason I love self-education so
6:39 much is this. It relies on intrinsic
6:42 motivation. It's something you do for no
6:44 other reason than to improve yourself.
6:46 Maybe there's a reason you're learning a
6:48 certain thing, like you want to speak
6:50 the local language on an exciting trip
6:53 you have planned, or you want to better
6:54 chat with your partner on something they
6:57 enjoy. But still, there's no one telling
6:59 you to study. You're not working toward
7:02 a promotion or a straight A report card.
7:04 And personally, I think that intrinsic
7:06 motivation is another skill we're losing
7:09 nowadays. The ability to do something
7:12 hard simply because it enriches us. And
7:14 that enrichment feels good, not because
7:16 it will get us something. You know, this
7:18 actually reminded me of when I was in
7:21 middle school. I would sit myself down
7:23 and just write out lists of everything I
7:27 wanted to learn one day. Subjects from
7:30 ecology to theology to uh web
7:33 development and fashion design. And I
7:35 wanted to learn these things entirely
7:37 because I was 13, thought they were
7:39 cool, and I didn't know what a resume
7:41 was. But now if you Google
7:44 self-education or why self-education,
7:47 every page argues that it's an essential
7:49 soft skill that will give you a
7:51 competitive edge in today's labor
7:53 market. I have no doubt that's true. But
7:56 personally, I would urge you to approach
7:59 it not from a place of professional
8:02 development, but instead from a place of
8:05 curiosity and childlike wonder, which
8:08 the pushers of brain rot also don't want
8:10 you to have. But real quick, if you're
8:12 enjoying this video so far, you might
8:14 also enjoy my brand new Substack
8:16 newsletter. Over there, I'll be sharing
8:18 more practical advice on building a
8:20 creative and thought oriented life, as
8:22 well as reading recommendations, writing
8:25 prompts, and essays that put the
8:27 personal in personal essay. It's
8:29 completely free and in return for your
8:30 subscription and as a token of my
8:33 undying love and gratitude, you will
8:36 receive well- read in 32 weeks an 11page
8:38 reading plan of over 50 classic books
8:40 I've read and loved that will give you a
8:42 solid foundation in great literature.
8:43 So, if you don't know where to start
8:45 with self-education, you could start
8:47 there. The newsletter will be linked
8:49 down below, but if you're just a video
8:52 person, I respect that. In which case,
8:53 you know which button to hit. my
8:57 four-step self-eing framework, aka the
9:00 SCAR method. And why, yes, I did spend
9:02 an unreasonable amount of time coming up
9:05 with an acronym. Step one, select.
9:07 Choosing your topic is essential because
9:09 your interest in it will determine how
9:11 far and deep you go. You want to avoid
9:13 topics you think you should know and
9:15 focus on what you're genuinely drawn to.
9:18 For example, as an American, I know I
9:20 probably should study Spanish. I would
9:23 get way more use out of it than
9:27 classical Latin, but about 50% or so of
9:29 English is Latin. And as a writer, I
9:31 want to better understand where the
9:34 words I write come from. If no topic
9:36 immediately jumps out to you as one you
9:38 want to study, I recommend just taking a
9:40 few days, maybe a week, just being
9:42 conscious of where your attention is
9:44 drawn. And here you can actually put
9:47 your for you page to work. Do you maybe
9:49 tend to stop scrolling on cooking
9:51 videos? Well, have you considered maybe
9:53 studying food science or proper cooking
9:55 technique? Or are you a true crime
9:57 devote? If so, maybe you actually want
9:59 to study forensics. In my experience,
10:02 your interests will start closer to home
10:04 and connect more to things you're
10:07 already doing and then expand outward as
10:09 your sphere of knowledge grows. Step
10:12 two, curate. Locate your resources. I
10:14 find this stage exceedingly fun because
10:16 it's the first official foray into an
10:19 exciting new topic and we are truly
10:21 blessed to have nearly everything we
10:24 could ever want to know at our
10:26 fingertips all the time largely for
10:28 free. That said, it's very easy to get
10:30 overwhelmed by the sheer amount of
10:33 information out there. And that's why I
10:35 implement a rule of three. One
10:38 foundational text, one expert to follow,
10:40 and one active community. to go back to
10:42 my Latin study that looks like my
10:44 foundational text is the textbook
10:46 Familia Romana. My expert is Steve
10:48 Calfman's language channel here on
10:50 YouTube and my active community is
10:53 r/Latin. I plan to go more in depth on
10:55 where exactly to find study resources in
10:57 a future video, but it doesn't have to
10:59 be complicated. To find a foundational
11:02 text, a quick Google on your topic plus
11:04 books will find you a list of essential
11:06 reading or of course you can ask your
11:08 local librarian for guidance. Your
11:10 expert can be a teacher, a tutor, a
11:12 course if you're able, but if not, there
11:14 is a wealth of experts creating quality
11:16 quality content on YouTube. And a
11:18 community can be a Meetup group or a
11:20 study group in your area, a smart
11:22 friend, or something as simple as a
11:25 subreddit. Step three, apply. If you've
11:26 ever heard of the Fineman technique,
11:28 this stage will sound familiar.
11:29 Physicist and Nobel Laureate Richard
11:31 Fineman developed a learning technique
11:33 that focused on simplifying concepts for
11:36 better understanding. After selecting
11:38 and studying your material, he wants you
11:40 to teach it to a child. That means you
11:42 have to present the information in plain
11:45 English as simply as possible. But in
11:47 order to do that, you have to thoroughly
11:49 understand it. If you can't explain what
11:51 you're studying in the most basic terms,
11:53 free of jargon, we probably don't
11:55 understand it that well. And I'm sure
11:56 this is something we've all experienced
11:58 when you're trying to explain something
12:01 to someone and as you're talking you
12:03 realize, um, I don't know how to put
12:05 this into words. Now, you don't need to
12:08 literally find a kid and teach him
12:10 macroeconomics. Although, bonus points
12:12 if you do. Simply imagining and writing
12:14 down what you would teach a student can
12:16 be enough to test your understanding and
12:18 help you identify weak spots. The Fman
12:21 technique is great for conceptual topics
12:25 like uh literary theory or abnormal
12:27 psychology, but I don't think it quite
12:30 addresses more uh practical or
12:32 technique-based things you might want to
12:35 learn. Things like baking, pottery, or
12:37 an instrument. In those cases, regularly
12:40 ask yourself this question. What am I
12:43 doing and why am I doing it? Say you're
12:46 baking a cake and you need flour, sugar,
12:49 butter, eggs, baking powder. It's one
12:50 thing to know you need to put them
12:52 together in specific proportions in
12:54 order to get a cake, but it's a whole
12:56 different level of understanding to know
12:59 why. What does the butter do, the egg
13:02 do, the flour? Why bake on 350 instead
13:05 of 400? In short, applying your newfound
13:07 knowledge or knowing why you're applying
13:09 your new knowledge is the key to
13:12 self-education that sticks. Finally,
13:14 step four, reflect. After you've taught
13:16 your topic to someone, literally or
13:18 figuratively, the gaps in your knowledge
13:20 will be apparent. What did you have
13:22 trouble explaining? What technique
13:26 didn't you understand? Conversely, what
13:28 new insights did you have? And have you
13:29 made any connections between different
13:31 concepts? Is there anything you're
13:33 curious about? Reflection doesn't have
13:35 to take much time or energy. I usually
13:38 do a weekly audit, which is just a page
13:40 in my commonplace book where I jot down
13:41 the progress I've made and the questions
13:44 I have, plus any insights that come up.
13:46 The following week, I prioritize my weak
13:48 spots before carrying on to new
13:50 material. From here on out, you'll be
13:52 cycling between stages of application
13:55 and reflection and curating new
13:57 resources as you progress. What I love
13:59 about this system is that it develops
14:00 your analysis and critical thinking
14:03 skills alongside whatever it is you're
14:05 studying because you're evaluating
14:07 yourself. No one is grading you.
14:10 Self-eing puts yourself back in the
14:12 driver's seat of your own brain. Now,
14:14 before you go drive that brain, you
14:16 should be aware of these two common
14:18 pitfalls. The beginner blues. We've all
14:20 been there. You start learning something
14:22 new and you're loving it, but oh, you
14:25 just want to be an expert already. Maybe
14:26 it's a language you want to speak
14:28 fluently or an advanced piece of music
14:30 you want to play, but the idea of
14:33 getting from here to there is so
14:35 daunting that you wonder if it's even
14:38 possible. It absolutely is possible. So,
14:41 I started knitting around 14 or 15, and
14:44 I'm entirely self-taught through YouTube
14:46 University, and for months on end, I
14:49 knit scarf after misshapen scarf when
14:51 what I really wanted to knit was my own
14:54 clothing. It did take me a good six or
14:56 seven years before I felt I finally had
14:59 the skill to knit a garment that fit
15:02 properly. But now I'm at a point where
15:04 probably about a third of my wardrobe is
15:07 handk knit or crocheted. And that's
15:10 pretty freaking cool and certainly would
15:12 not have happened if I rage quit all
15:14 those years ago. And now I'm knitting
15:16 this top. So if you're battling the
15:17 beginner blues, ask yourself this
15:19 question. Do I love what I'm learning
15:22 enough to endure the growing pains?
15:25 Maybe your answer is no, and you only
15:26 want to skip to expert level because
15:28 you're not truly enjoying the process or
15:31 the material. In that case, I give you
15:33 permission to quit and try something
15:35 new. But if your answer is yes, I beg
15:37 you, do not give up when the going gets
15:40 rough because eventually that love of
15:42 the work will get you to where you want
15:45 to be.
15:46 Alternately, you might love being a
15:48 beginner so much that you keep starting
15:50 to learn new things, but don't make much
15:53 progress on any one of them. You're so
15:55 committed to self-education that every
15:57 time a new interest grabs you, you dive
15:59 right in. Love the energy. Love the
16:01 enthusiasm. But the irony is that
16:04 learning becomes the new scrolling.
16:05 Starting a new project gives you that
16:07 same hit of dopamine that scrolling to a
16:10 new Tik Tok would. In my experience,
16:12 shiny object syndrome is a particularly
16:14 easy trap to fall into when you're new
16:16 to self-education because you're still
16:18 breaking away from that endless
16:21 algorithm mindset. It's totally natural
16:23 to want variety. I know I need quite a
16:26 bit of it myself to stay engaged. But
16:28 instead of getting that variety by
16:30 switching between topics, vary the
16:32 methods and the materials materials you
16:35 use in one topic. I'll use language
16:37 learning as an example again. Instead of
16:39 studying Greek, then Korean a few weeks
16:42 later, then German after that, stick
16:45 with Greek, but alter how you study it.
16:47 Maybe read a short story on Monday, and
16:49 then do grammar drills on Wednesday.
16:51 Listen to a podcast Friday and then
16:53 speak with a partner on Sunday. That
16:55 way, each study session feels new and
16:57 different, but you're still going deep
17:00 into one area instead of simply dipping
17:03 your toes into several.
17:05 In the beginning of the video, I asked
17:07 myself the question, "How do I get back
17:09 to who I used to be?" Self-education is
17:11 the answer to that question. Not only
17:13 because the process strengthens the
17:15 cognitive function that I've been
17:18 neglecting, but also because the entire
17:20 effort is emblematic of the person I
17:22 truly know myself to be. And if you
17:25 watched this far, who you are, too.
17:27 Someone who is curious about the world
17:29 around them. Who wants to explore new
17:31 ways of thinking. Who values knowledge
17:33 for its own sake. Someone who wants to
17:36 experience life directly, not have it
17:38 boiled down and served to them on a
17:40 pocket-sized platter. Well, that is it
17:42 for me today. If you enjoyed this video,
17:43 don't forget to give it a like, which is
17:45 the easiest and fastest way to support
17:47 the channel. And do let me know in the
17:49 comments if you could study anything,
17:51 what would it be? Or what have you
17:54 taught yourself in the past? I'm very
17:56 curious to know what subjects strike
17:58 your fancy.
18:00 >> You can also follow me on Instagram and
18:02 Goodreads at ThoughtQcoutur. I knew I
18:04 was forgetting to say something.
18:05 >> And as always, thank you so much for
18:07 spending your time with me. I hope you
18:09 have a lovely rest of your day and I
