Scrolling TikTok and Reels isn't just eating your free time -- it's changing the way your brain functions.

A new brain imaging study from Tianjin Normal University in China found that compulsive short-form scrolling doesn't just feel addictive -- it mirrors the same neurological patterns as alcoholism, only with potentially deeper hooks.

Professor Qiang Wang, who led the study, explained that people who consume short-form content in excess show hyperactive reward pathways in their brains -- the same circuitry that lights up for alcoholics and gamblers. Every clip releases a small burst of dopamine, the neurotransmitter that makes us feel good when we get a reward. Normally, dopamine helps train us to repeat healthy behaviors like exercising, eating well, or connecting with other people. But when the brain is flooded with it nonstop through endless scrolling, those same pathways become overstimulated.

And here's the catch: overstimulation doesn't mean you get more pleasure. It means you get less. Just like alcohol or drugs, the brain builds tolerance. Those first few clips might feel like a rush, but as the dopamine system adjusts, you need more and more just to feel anything at all. That's why "just five minutes" of TikTok can so easily spiral into an hour -- you're chasing a reward your brain is no longer wired to give you. The more you consume, the duller everything else in life starts to feel, from reading a book to having a conversation.

The damage doesn't stop with dopamine. The study found that heavy scrollers show changes in the prefrontal cortex -- the part of the brain responsible for regulating emotions and decision-making. That means it becomes harder to control impulses, harder to focus, and harder to break the cycle. Meanwhile, the hippocampus -- the brain's memory center -- can start to deteriorate, making it more difficult to process complex ideas or retain new information. The effect is eerily similar to a hangover, except in this case, you didn't drink -- you just scrolled.

"Short-form video addiction is a global public health threat," Wang warned. And while nobody's saying delete your apps entirely, the research makes one thing clear: if alcohol can leave you hungover, the scroll might leave you hollowed out.