Why You Can’t Pay Attention + How to Think Deeply Again (with Johann Hari)

AHA Publisher — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 08:00:02 +0000

Dr. Caroline Leaf – In this podcast (episode #353) and blog, I speak to journalist and best-selling author Johann Hari about his incredible new book Stolen Focus, why our inability to focus, think deeply and pay attention has dramatically increased, and what we can do about this as individuals and as a society. As Johann points out in Stolen Focus, “We think our inability to focus is a personal failing–a flaw in each one of us. It is not. This has been done to us–by powerful external forces. Our focus has been stolen.” Our culture has made it harder and harder to pay attention—this is something that affects us all. Indeed, research shows that the average college student now only focuses for 63 seconds on any one task, and the average office worker for only 3 minutes. But why is this happening? Johann discovered there are twelve major factors affecting our ability to focus and think deeply, including the business model behind modern technology and social media. This model relies on advertisements and collecting complex information about you to sell to advertisers. When you put down your phone or device, both these revenue streams go away—so they essentially need to keep you “logged on” for as long as possible. These companies have deliberately designed these platforms to “hack” your attention for as long as possible, which includes a system of rewards that you learn to crave (such as likes on your photo) and increasing your anger levels (so you think less clearly and more impulsively). These companies are financially dependent on distracting you. However, Johann also learned how, as individuals and collectively, we can get our focus back, if we are willing to fight for it. We can do things like: Demanding that the business model of these companies change, such as shifting to a subscription model or type of public ownership option. Companies shouldn’t be able to discover new ways to hack our attention and sell it to the highest bidder. Reading more, and not just on a screen! Reading is one of the most important forms of deep focus that most people experience in their lives. However, in the last 20 years there has been an extraordinary collapse in reading, which is both a symptom and cause of the current attention crisis. Reading actual books/articles/papers/magazines (not just on a screen!) can help us to learn how to think in a more linear way again, which, in turn, can help us maintain focus in a calmer way, while reading novels can help us also become more empathetic. So, instead of just letting our consciousness be shaped by angry social media feeds or short bursts on information on a screen, we should try to incorporate more reading, including novels, into our everyday lives. Letting children play, play, play! This is a great way to increase a child’s ability to focus, and teaches them how to manage their stress and anxiety, work with others, and discover what fascinates them and makes them interested in learning. letgrow.org is a great organization that is doing this right now! To read the original article click here.

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The Myth of Multitasking + How to Actually Improve Focus to Get Things Done

AHA Publisher — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 07:00:43 +0000

Dr. Caroline Leaf – In this podcast (episode #327) and blog, I interview cognitive neuroscientist and author Dr. Amishi P. Jha about her amazing new book, Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day. We talk about the different kinds of attention systems in the brain, how to train the brain to pay more attention and focus in high stress situations, how mindfulness can improve attention, and so much more! As Dr. Amishi points out, although attention is an incredibly powerful brain function, there are things that we face every day that are like Kryptonite for our attention, such as stress and feelings of threat. But the great news is that we can learn how to manage these feelings in the moment and protect our ability to pay attention. In Peak Mind, Dr. Amishi discusses her experience working with individuals who experience challenging situations daily, such as soldiers, athletes, government officials and surgeons, and the remarkable discoveries she has made in her own lab. She has consistently found that, although our attention is vulnerable, there are ways we can learn how to control it, especially in high-stress situations. We need to understand that attention is cognitive fuel. We need it for more than just “thinking”; we need attention to make decisions, to deliberate, to regulate our emotions and behavior, and to connect with other people. It is needed for many complex cognitive functions! There are 3 important sub-systems of attention. First is FOCUS, which means to privilege some information and disregard other information. This is also called the orienting system of the brain, which acts like a flashlight in the dark, focusing on certain areas in our external and internal environment. It can be directed by us, and it can be pulled by certain kinds of stimuli. Second is the ALERTING system, which is like a floodlight. It is broad, vigilant and receptive, and privileges what is happening in the moment—right now. The third system is EXECUTIVE control or attention. Its job is to ensure that our goals and actions are aligned, and to course-correct if things are going in the wrong direction. These systems function best as a coordinated system, even though they may seem at odds with one another individually. In fact, we should not be paying attention to everything all the time, because we cannot act on everything simultaneously. Our brain is not designed to multi-task. Our attention system does not have the capacity to do a bunch of important, demanding tasks at once. Multi-tasking is a myth. What we are generally doing when we think we are multi-tasking is actually switching between tasks. This can be exhausting because the entire brain is re-calibrated by a new task, which comes at an energetic cost. This means that you are more likely to make cognitive errors, and you cannot give a task the comprehension it may demand. Our executive function can help us manage our attention and choose what to pay attention to instead of jumping from one task to another. Using this system, we can mono-task instead of multi-task. This can be something as simple as making a choice to put your phone on silent during a meeting or asking people not to disturb you while you work on a deadline. Interestingly, Dr. Amishi has found that certain kinds of mindfulness and mind management practices can help us learn how to pay better attention in other areas of our life instead of just jumping from task to task, especially when partnered with a physical practice like breathwork. Essentially, mindfulness is a specific form of cognitive training for our attention! In her book, Dr. Amishi suggests doing a simple exercise to help you practice this kind of mindfulness to start improving your attention: first, just notice yourself breathing, then choose to focus on a breath-related sensation (such as the coolness of the air passing through your mouth) using your executive function. Then, use your “flashlight”: notice when your mind wanders, and use your executive function to re-direct your thinking. Dr. Amishi has found in her research that practicing this kind of mindfulness for a minimum of 12 minutes a day, around 4 to 5 times a week, can help support your ability to pay attention during stressful times! To read the original article click here.

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Why You Can’t Pay Attention + How to Think Deeply Again (with Johann Hari)

The Myth of Multitasking + How to Actually Improve Focus to Get Things Done