Brain Rot Econ #1: What Even Is Economics? (Explained Simply)

I’m sitting here, 2 years into college, ready to transfer to UCLA as a Business/Economics major. I began to reflect on what I’ve learned—and then it hit me: what even is economics?

One of my biggest fears is getting asked a question I don’t know how to respond to, especially when I’m expected to know the answer. I was scared I’d have to answer this question one day—maybe my parents already did—so I finally looked back at my econ notes from the past two years. In simple terms, economics is the study of how humans make decisions with unlimited wants and limited resources. Let’s dive a little deeper on what this means—and explain it in a way that will stick.

What is Economics?

Imagine trying to plan a trip with a group of friends—one wants to hike, another wants to hit a food spot, and someone else just wants to go shopping. You want to do it all, but you’ve only got 24 hours (your limited resources), and suddenly the group chat is a war zone.

Economics is basically the study of how to plan that trip so everyone kind of wins—it’s how people, businesses, and governments decide what to do when everyone wants everything, but resources are limited. Officially, economics is a social science focused on how we produce, distribute, and consume goods and services—and how we make decisions when we can’t have it all.

Whether it’s skipping leg day for sleep, or deciding how a government spends taxpayer money, economics is the ultimate “pick your poison” when making decisions that come with real life consequences.

Why Should We Care About Economics?

Think of economics like using ChatGPT to write your final essay—with no AI checker. It’s a cheat code for adulting. It’s not just about Wall Street or government budgets. It’s about why your favorite snacks cost more now, why rent makes you cry, and why your group project always runs out of time and motivation.

Economics explains the hidden forces behind everyday chaos—from skyrocketing concert ticket prices to why you’re underpaid and overworked. If you ignore it, it’s like turning in your AI-generated essay to a teacher who does use an AI checker. You might think the grade is unfair, but the syllabus literally told you Turnitin was being used.

In short, caring about economics makes you less likely to get blindsided by life. It’s how you use AI to write that same essay and get away with it.

When Would We Use Economics?

You might not realize it, but you use economics constantly—probably before you even get out of bed. Every time you make a decision—whether it's putting off a homework assignment or scrolling TikTok for "just five more minutes"—you're already applying economics.

Economics shows up when you budget your allowance, decide between Uber or walking, or argue with your friends over how to split the bill. On a bigger scale, businesses use it to set prices, governments use it to make policy, and even social media creators use it to figure out what content will get the most views.

It’s like your brain is playing “Would You Rather” with your time, money, and sanity—all day, every day. You’re constantly making trade-offs, whether you know it or not. But here’s the catch: when you understand economics, you can start making those choices intentionally. You gain control over how you spend your time instead of letting your brain rot away in a TikTok spiral that somehow ate two hours and your last ounce of motivation.

Is Economics Worth Studying?

If you're the type of person who’s fine floating through life without ever asking why things are the way they are, then no—economics probably isn’t for you. But if you like knowing what’s actually going on behind the scenes, ignoring economics is like voluntarily turning off part of your brain. You’re blocking yourself from a type of knowledge that could open doors—to better choices, better conversations, and maybe even better money.

Not learning economics is like Gojo Satoru never taking off his blindfold. Sure, he’s still powerful, but he’s not using his full potential. Studying econ is like upgrading your brain’s RAM—suddenly, you’re processing the world faster, seeing patterns you missed, and making smarter calls. You stop asking “Why is rent so high?” and start understanding the 15 things that caused it.

So here’s the real question: If Apple offered you a free iOS update that made your phone faster, smoother, and harder to scam… would you say no?

Didn’t think so.

That’s what saying no to economics sounds like.

How To Not Forget Economics Through Brain-Rot

If you’re anything like me—someone who forgot two years of econ the second finals ended—this section isn’t just for you, it’s for us. If we actually want this stuff to stick in our heads, we have to think in the language of our generation: pure, unfiltered brain rot.

We have to turn concepts into jokes our fried attention spans can handle. Like:

• Scarcity: When your Fortnite teammate asks for wood and you’ve got nothing, with no trees in sight.

• Opportunity Cost: Every time you skip leg day to game with the squad.

• Comparative Advantage: When you’re better at looting, your friend’s better at building—so you stick to looting while they build.

This might sound incredibly dumb—even I feel weird writing it—but that’s exactly the point. Brain rot learning works because it’s stupid enough to be unforgettable.

In a world where our brains are constantly being nuked by TikTok scrolls and 3-second attention spans, trying to learn economics the “normal” way just isn’t it. But if you can tie econ to memes, inside jokes, or Fortnite logic, you’ll actually remember it. Forget the clean charts and dry definitions. If you can turn it into a story or a stupid reference, you’ve already won.

A few hours later, and all I’ve really done is remind myself what I actually learned over the past two years at THEE most basic level. Economics isn’t just another subject, it’s a mindset. It’s everywhere—when you wake up, at the grocery store, in your gas prices… and yeah, even Fortnite.

I didn’t write this because I have it all figured out—I obviously don’t, if you couldn’t tell—but to show that we don’t need perfect explanations. If anything, turning complicated topics into dumbed-down analogies and jokes that make us cringe is exactly what does work for our generation.

Now that I’m here, I see that economics isn’t about knowing all the answers. It’s about learning—and wanting—to ask better questions.

What started as me wondering, “What even is economics?” turned into something way more. I think I’m ready to keep questioning.

Next up in Brain Rot Econ #2, I’ll dive into opportunity cost—why every “yes” and “no” in life comes at a cost… of opportunity.

Okay yeah, that line was kind of cheesy. But that’s the point!

If this made any sense at all… stay tuned for what’s next.