A popcorn brain refers to thoughts that jump about like kernels of corn that pop when heated. Photo / 123rf
A popcorn brain refers to thoughts that jump about like kernels of corn that pop when heated. Photo / 123rf
If your thoughts jump around like popcorn in the microwave, you may have what’s known as ‘popcorn brain’, explains The Telegraph’s health editor Laurel Ives.
You’re trying to focus on work, but every time you stare at your computer a thought pops into your brain and distracts you. Before you know it, you’re scrolling through social media or replying to a message, and the work’s not done.
This distractibility is often referred to as “popcorn brain” because thoughts jump about like kernels of corn that pop when heated.
The term was first coined by neuroscientist David Levy in his book Mindful Tech to describe how our ability to concentrate is repeatedly challenged by new technology. Yet popcorn brain is also a good way to describe the distractable brain of someone with ADHD, although it doesn’t necessarily mean you have the condition.
For people with ADHD, popcorn brain is a hallmark symptom.
“ADHD brains are very active, jumping around, making connections, coming up with new ideas. Another way to think about it is mind wandering — also a characteristic feature of ADHD, which means that if you’re not engaged in a task that captures your attention, your mind will often go off in multiple different directions,” says Dr James Kustow, a consultant psychiatrist and the author of the How to Thrive with Adult ADHD.
This kind of brain can be a professional advantage in some industries where creativity and ‘thinking out of the box’ are valued, which is why many people in the arts, film, television and media have ADHD.
“People with ADHD can be very successful, and often it’s their neurodiversity that has helped them achieve that success,” says Dr Kumaran Thevan, a consultant child and adolescent psychiatrist.
“If their brains were average they may not have excelled in those professions. Of course, in other settings, like school, it is not so useful.”
The popcorn brain also thrives on stress, using adrenaline as a way to focus wandering minds — which is why people with ADHD can succeed in high-pressure environments.
“Typically, people with ADHD perform well in a crisis or under pressure. The adrenaline of stress compensates for the lack of dopamine and noradrenaline associated with the ADHD brain,” says Kustow.
It can be hard for a person with ADHD to harness and regulate a popcorn brain. Photo / 123rf
The challenges of popcorn brain
While popcorn brain can be an advantage in some settings, it can also be hard for the person with ADHD to harness and regulate it, leading to what is known as ‘executive dysfunction’.
“The same part of the brain that doesn’t allow the person to concentrate, doesn’t allow them to analyse things systematically. Procrastination happens, disorganisation happens, and they lose things and forget things.
“When you’re growing up, if it’s not diagnosed, this can lead to a lot of shame. At school, the assumption is that a child is misbehaving or lazy. This can reach far into adulthood, where people with ADHD can experience depression, trauma and anxiety,” says Thevan.
People often try to self-regulate their overactive brains and struggle with enjoying downtime.
“They might have a low dopamine baseline, so they feel empty or bored when not busy. Then they might chase a rapid release of dopamine, which is like chucking a load of water into a pool in one go, but the problem is those activities can lead to addiction,” adds Dr Kustow.
In the worst case, this can lead to addictions such as drinking, gambling, overeating or gaming, all of which are more prevalent in people with ADHD. Popcorn brain can also lead to increased conflict in relationships.
“Fighting and conflict can bring a lot of adrenaline,” adds Kustow, “and people might seek it out because it has a regulating effect.”
I have a popcorn brain, does that mean I have ADHD?
Not necessarily. Although a popcorn style of thinking is a key symptom of ADHD, if you struggle to concentrate, you don’t necessarily have the condition.
Some researchers believe that our attention spans are getting shorter because we’re living our lives online and dealing with the constant distractions of social media, short-form videos and endless notifications on our phones, although the evidence is not yet conclusive. Dr Thevan says a popcorn brain style of thinking might also be evidence of low mood or anxiety.
For a diagnosis of ADHD, experts say there needs to be evidence of dysregulation in other areas of life like activity levels, impulse control, sleep, time appraisal and emotions.
“The diagnostic criteria focus on the three core areas of attention, activity and impulse control, yet everyone would agree that it is far more than this. Diagnosis is not just a symptom or two, and they have to cause impairments. The symptoms also have to be apparent in childhood,” Kustow explains.
He believes that external stresses may also be responsible for pushing people who are vulnerable to ADHD into meeting the criteria for diagnosis, although research doesn’t confirm this yet.
“For example, a woman who has lived her life with a scattering of symptoms, but was generally functioning okay, may find that when her hormonal landscape changes, and the reduction of oestrogen drives a reduction in dopamine, she suddenly becomes more symptomatic.”
People with ADHD might choose a highly stimulating professional environment. Photo / 123rf
Four ways to manage and harness popcorn brain
1. Play to your strengths
Playing to your strengths is important for harnessing the upsides of a creative, freewheeling brain. This means being careful about your choice of profession.
“People with ADHD might choose a highly stimulating professional environment, as that often provides better regulation,” says Thevan.
Professions with a lot of variety can be helpful, where people are not required to sit down all day and have more freedom and control.
“Many successful people probably have this style of brain, but they’ve been able to mould their lives around their strengths. Maybe they have a PA who does their organising for them, or they’re married to somebody who compensates for their weaknesses.”
Similarly, it’s helpful to be strategic when it comes to tasks at home — an ADHD parent might struggle to focus their brain to help with homework, but they might be the best parent to come up with fun ideas to entertain their kids on a rainy day.
Fast-paced online content is uniquely stimulating for people with ADHD and can lead to addictions.
Kustow describes the internet “as a dopamine playground for adults with ADHD. It’s all a bit too much for a mind that seeks out reward and novelty. But this constant ‘noise’ absorbs time, narrows focus, drains energy and fosters an unhealthy and addictive relationship with tech,” he says.
He advises setting limits and not reaching for your phone whenever there is an empty moment. Having a phone basket for mealtimes, and not having it in your bedroom at night, can help people switch off.
3. Keep on top of your organisation, planning and decision-making
The popcorn brain is linked to disorganisation, and people can struggle with time-keeping, decision-making, losing things and forgetting appointments.
Simple strategies work, such as setting out a week’s worth of work clothes so you don’t have to decide what to wear in the morning or setting multiple alarms to remind you to eat breakfast and brush your teeth.
In his book, Kustow advises creating two lists:
“The Dump All Task” list, where you add tasks that need action at some point, and the ‘Daily Action” list, where you list the tasks that need doing that day. You can also block out time for these tasks in your diary.
The Pomodoro method is a time management strategy based on 25-minute stretches of focused work broken by five-minute breaks that can improve focus. The website will time you and sound an alarm when it’s time for a break.
4. Seek a diagnosis
Although popcorn brain doesn’t necessarily mean you have ADHD, if you have other symptoms also impacting your life then it’s worth seeking a diagnosis. Many people are missed in childhood because of a lack of resources, then they grow up into adults who are statistically more likely to suffer from addictions, sleep issues, depression and anxiety.
