The Beginners Mind

The Beginners Mind

Research as a Hobby: Chatbots on Brain Function

my current research project & process for setting up a new self-study assignment

Flossy Fay's avatar
Flossy Fay
Nov 03, 2025
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Shortly after I spent several months researching the effects of social media on attention span and, as a result, planned a dedicated and thoughtful 100 Day Digital Rehabilitation experiment, I knew I wanted to build on that foundation of information for my next research pursuit: AI.

If you need a refresher on my approach to amateur research, I recommend starting with my introduction article to the Research as a Hobby File!

My trick to making research and other academic-like activities sustainable as an elective endeavor, is to choose a topic that genuinely excites, intrigues, and/or moves me. If I do not care about the topic, if it does not invoke emotion, I will not be compelled to see the project all the way through.

In the beginning of October, I landed on my “broad topic” idea for my next research project:

Chatbots on Brain Function.

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