“Researchers developed a method to harness a laser-induced ‘global phase’ in ytterbium atoms and have boosted this effect with a quantum-amplification technique. The new approach…”
If that unusually technical sentence from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had your mind wandering or your eyes glazing over, then you may be part of the widely reported decrease in focus.
It is no surprise that humans are devolving parts that are unneeded or useless, such as wisdom teeth or the tailbone, but the ability to focus for sustained periods of time should not be among them. The ability to concentrate is critical to success in relationships, school, work and, especially, a future of innovation and new ideas. It needs to be savored and maintained.
An article from the National Institute of Health (NIH) defines cognitive control as “the set of evolved brain processes that lead to adaptive and effective behavioral selection.”
Mental stamina, including focus and concentration, allows humans to engage in complex thought and ideas, which is one of the most important differences between humans and other animals. Historically, humans have needed to maintain focus for long periods of time when completing important tasks like communicating, hunting, farming, learning and creating art.
Social media and constant technology stimulation now make sustained focus difficult. Apps like TikTok and Instagram compoundly decrease the user’s ability to pay attention to singular things without constant gratification. Habitual doom scrolling weakens pathways in the brain used for complex thinking and strengthens areas of the brain responsible for low-level thinking.
The National Library of Medicine (NLM) reports, “Prolonged consumption of such content (short videos) may… enhance the susceptibility to short video addiction, with a simultaneous decline in self-control.” The mentioned drop in discipline, in addition to our modern habits, enables procrastination and the inability to complete essential everyday tasks.
The effects of this issue creep into all aspects of life. In school and the workplace, having the skills to maintain attention is crucial. Dr. Gloria Mark, an author and professor who received her PhD in psychology, explained her research in an interview, stating, “attention spans are much shorter (than in previous decades before social media) and with an average coming to 47 seconds.”
This data is very concerning regarding the problems with productivity that arise when switching tasks. Dr. Mary Streit, a licensed psychologist, says that when switching between tasks, it “takes you a decent amount of time to kind of get back on track…(and) figure out what you were thinking.” Inability to stay on task unnecessarily wastes time and ruins efficiency.
Finally, living in a time with accessible distractions and stimulants allows many to detach from conversations and not be personable. These distractions are a liability to the creation of relationships in any form. Necessities of interpersonal connection are eye contact, active listening and body language, all of which vanish when hunched over looking at a screen.
In a study on the correlation between technology and friendship, the NLM confirms, “A significant negative association was observed between digital interaction and interpersonal relationships.”
All of this put together paints a clear picture which is difficult to acknowledge or escape: technology, social media specifically, is killing our attention spans and adversely affecting many critical skills for life and work. However, there are some simple ways to maintain concentration and mental stamina: reading, meditating or solving tough problems that require critical thinking. Completing any of these tasks is extremely easy and could take as little as five to ten minutes a day, but the cumulative effect is priceless.
Advice from an article published in the NLM states, “daily meditation decreased negative mood state and enhanced attention. ”Another interview with Streit further recommends staying off social media to increase mood and performance, as “you will be so much healthier and happier in every single way.”
It is important to remember that activities like scrolling or absorbing short-form content quickly ruin focus, while practices that rebuild cognitive control take repeated action to make a difference.
In a world where concentration is currency, everyone must work hard to cut distractions out of their life. A good ability to focus means not only the ability to complete tasks but also to do the things in life that are wanted: meet goals, mantain relationships and live life to the fullest.
