Watching a movie while also scrolling TikTok? 'Popcorn brain' is real — but you can retrain your brain to focus.

• Popcorn brain is when you jump from one thought or activity to another with little attention.
• For example, while watching a movie you check your phone and end up also watching a TikTok video.
• We can train our brains to refocus by using mindfulness.

When you hear the term "popcorn brain," you might picture popcorn kernels bursting open inside a pan or microwave. This image mirrors what's happening in your brain when you've had too much screen time.

Perhaps you sit down to watch a TV show only to find yourself scrolling through social media. Somehow, a video of a person frosting a cake has pulled your attention away from the show you've been waiting to see all week.

Popcorn brain is a term coined by David Levy in his book, "Mindful Tech." This term describes "the tendency for our thoughts to jump from one to another with fragmented attention, increased distraction and reduced focus," Ashwini Nadkarni MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, told Business Insider.

The constant barrage of content and notifications can leave you feeling tired and overwhelmed. Although popcorn brain isn't a clinical term, it's become an increasingly recognized phenomenon based on how our digital media consumption drives us to multitask.

Below we asked neuroscience experts how social media contributes to popcorn brain and how to reset mentally so we can get our work done and focus on things we enjoy.

Popcorn brain occurs when our brains are flooded with content

Nadkarni said that using smartphones and laptops prompts us to multi-task but engage inattentively. For example, you might be trying to write an email while switching between online shopping and an app that gives you news alerts.

Social media delivers a steady stream of quick, bite-sized content that demands constant attention, Sanam Hafeez, a neuropsychologist, told Business Insider. Scrolling through posts and videos trains the brain to seek instant gratification.

You begin to crave that fast-paced stimulation. "This leads to shorter attention spans, where it becomes harder to focus on anything for more than a few minutes at a time," she said.

Because your brain is on high alert, you never get a moment to slow down and relax. "In the long run, this overstimulation can make us feel mentally drained and less capable of deep thinking or creativity," Hafeez said.

We rely on different forms of attention depending on the task

Attention lies on a spectrum from undivided attention to inattention, Dave Rabin, MD, Ph.D., board-certified psychiatrist, neuroscientist, executive director of The Board of Medicine, and cofounder of Apollo Neuroscience, told Business Insider. Undivided attention means paying attention to one thing to the exclusion of everything else.

There's also sustained attention, where you focus on one thing for an extended period. Another form is selective attention, where you switch between different tasks.

"And then there's inattention, which is when you're not paying attention at all, and you're totally distracted," Rabin said. "So if we think about that spectrum, the brain has the ability to learn how to pay attention just like a muscle."

At any given moment, you might need to switch from an inattentive state to one that requires deep concentration. If you don't train your brain to pay attention, that muscle weakens, and you lose some of the ability to decide what to focus on and for how long.

Accordingly, he added that the popcorn brain describes a state of decreased attention control, characterized by scattered thoughts and difficulty staying focused on one task or topic. "The good news is you can fix it," Rabin said.

Fortunately, we can train our brains to refocus

Two strategies can help you deal with popcorn brain. The first involves practicing mindfulness, and the second concerns improving your concentration by altering how you engage with your digital devices.

1) Practice being mindful

Noticing that you're experiencing popcorn brain is a critical step toward overcoming it. "Action is much easier once you have awareness," Nadkarni said.

"Mindfulness describes the practice of attending to the present moment without judgment to cultivate a full awareness of one's thoughts, feelings, sensations, behavior, and surroundings," she added.

One way to build self-awareness is by doing what's called a body scan. This means finding a relaxing environment where you close your eyes, notice your breath, and shift your attention to different parts of your body and your surroundings.

Rabin said other body-based practices include yoga, soothing touch, and using apps that increase attention to the body. "If you can practice sustaining attention, then you are training that attention control muscle to be strong in any situation," he added.

2) Create a calming and focused environment

It might sound counterintuitive, but slowing down allows you to reset so you can tackle your next project. To tune out distractions, Hafeez suggested taking five to 10 minutes to focus on your breathing or listen to calming music or sounds, such as white noise.

If your thoughts feel scattered, try writing out a to-do list. "It can help organize your thoughts, making it easier to focus on one thing at a time," Hafeez said.

Another strategy is the pomodoro technique, which involves working for 25 minutes and then taking a 5-minute break. "Knowing you have a set time to focus can make it easier to dive in and stay on track," Hafeez said.

Finally, consider setting limits on your digital devices. Nadkarni suggested using only one device at a time, turning off notifications, closing apps or tabs, and taking breaks from social media.

Nandini Maharaj is a freelance writer covering health, wellness, identity, and relationships. She holds a master's degree in counseling and a doctorate in public health.