This survey conducted with 250 experts reveals unheard causes of loss of our attention
Through his book, “We steal your attention: why you can’t focus anymore and how to measure it”, Journalist Johan Hari, was capable of identifying twelve deep reasons, who was capable of detaining our attention Or feed. This ability, we can still think that it is too long, without realizing the real damage associated with it.
Thus, a first question arises: Do we really know about our lack of attention that has almost become old? The fault of the social network, of course, but not only. The author lists a dozen reasons in his work, through a investigative work, from dozens of countries “from Miami to Moscow via Montreal and Melbourne”, and through testimony of 250 experts.
Lack of attention? The bigger loss from as much as it seems
It is possible that we underestimate to the extent of lack of our attention, as its short, medium and long -term damage, as the author of this investigation has been outlined.
Amidst the most direct preheceable effects, note that our focus – when it constantly distracts – we have trouble focusing on it that really means what it means to us, it would have difficulty focusing on it. Is. “We have to solve our attention problems before we can achieve any other purpose”. “Partly (…) because when attention is reduced, our ability to solve problems also decreases.” Like our thinking ability.
Our focus time is collectively reduced
Which Johan says to Hari that the motto of our time could be: “I tried to live, but I allowed myself to be distracted”. Gloria Mark, a computer teacher at the University of California, conducted a study on the subject. The latter suggests how long, on average, an adult working in an office focuses on a task. Result? three minutes.
Other researchers from all over Europe, such as listening Lehman, have collectively conducted the largest scientific study around the issue. The observation is without appeal: Our ability for collective concentration actually decreases. And it has an impact on all areas of our life, an individual and collective scale.
The world’s attention and lack of polarization
In his book-gate, Johan Hari thus underlines the harmful effects on the entire population, and in the expansion of society: “It is not a coincidence that this attention crisis is the worst democratic crisis since the 1930s It happens in time “.
The journalist throws light on a polarization effect, which is as follows: Our attention is so easily caught, which we all easily consume small materials. One of which emerges polarization, which is already seen a lot on social networks. Whether in the context of information, as well as political fields.
The harmful effects of lack of attention on our mental health
Anxiety is also easily invited to the game, as we will have the impression of losing control with time and our lives. Similarly, personal ambitions can be triggered.
Among other things, mental health can all be affected all more, as it has become simple to escape: “This is when you keep your distractions separate that you start recognizing what we try to run away They were “. With more sources of entertainment, you will have to fight against you to focus on your goals, turn yourself, and finally for others.
A sense of acceleration of the world
Media stimulation, “infobeditis”, we never encounter continuous news, nor immediately. And if there is an element that works on the distortion of time, then it is constant information. If the latter increases our anxiety, it is also responsible for our perception of time. As the listened researcher Lehman has said: “This increase in the amount of information realizes that the world intensifies”.
Impact on us? “It gets tired”. SUNE: “The sacrifice we make is deep on all dimensions. It takes time in depth. And reflection is required ”. British writer Robert Kolville believes that we are living in “great acceleration”. In addition, this acceleration is seen on many aspects of our life: we speak rapidly today compared to the 1950s, our walking speed in twenty years of space has increased by 10%.
Identify causes to keep a permanent solution
so what to do? Writer quotes the author James Baldwin: “Whatever we cannot come forward, we cannot change anything, but we cannot change anything until we face it”. And to conclude: “This crisis is of human origin, and it can be solved like that”.
It is still necessary to understand the reasons. This is why, the author has listed ten responsible for the loss of our attention according to him, which he then has given details in his book with a very large scale details, concrete examples, data and big reinforcement of D ‘studies. .
They are here:
- Time acceleration
- The paralysis of our flow states: This state needs to pay intensive attention, to achieve this, we must have a goal, ensure that our goal has meaning for us and go to the boundaries of our abilities Try to This state allows anchoring at the present moment.
- Increase in physical and mental exhaustion: Many of us are in a state of permanent fatigue, and if we have done something that is not normal?
- Efforts and constant reading
- Disturbance of wandering thoughts: Mental wandering is necessary to understand what surrounds us. Productivity discovery, omnipresent entertainment affects our ability to disconnect to join again
- The emergence of “technologies capable of manipulating us”, we and our needs
- The fact of resting our smartphone’s crime on personal versus social responsibility
- “Some companies have an economic model problem”. Examples: If we were becoming “social networks”, our focus will no longer be sold to the most offering companies, then the social network will be re -designed for us and not to “make our focus captive”.
- Stress and exaggeration
- Corporate models as it is thought to date: currentism, “always less always less”.
- Our diet fall: processed products work on our attention ability
- Defeat of pollution: which affects our attention disorders
- “Explosion of ADHD cases and our response to this problem”
- The education we impose on children can also have an impact on their ability to pay attention to it.
To read:
“We are stolen from you: why you can’t focus anymore and how to measure it”, Eyrollles version.