Can I Have Your Attention Please?
Research has shown that our attention spans have shrunk drastically over the past few decades. This isn't surprising with the opportunities to engage with our electronic devices, the proliferation of social media, and numerous options for distracting ourselves with entertainment, such as streaming.
Scientists don't know how the mind influences the brain, but significant evidence shows that it involves paying attention. Because a conscious, awake mind is bombarded by countless bits of information, it only registers the information you pay attention to. Only with focused awareness are your experiences stored in your memory. Bottom line - what is recorded by your brain is determined by what you pay attention to.
How the brain manages what is registered and what is not only became apparent in the first few years of the 21st century. The best way to think about this is that neurons compete. What is registered by the brain is determined by the strength of the signal. The strength of the signal is determined by setting a purpose or "intention for our attention." Here is how our attention works.
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Intentional Attention
The first step is to focus on the situation, a thought, new behavior, or a memory you want to repeat or remember. However, merely focusing your attention doesn't ensure your brain is rewired. It requires effort.
Effort
Effort moves intentional attention from merely a perception to creating new neural pathways. When you do something for the first time, it takes much effort. By using PET scans, neuroscientists can see the effort the brain makes when learning something new. And with practice, new tasks become effortless.
Effortless
After a new neural pathway has been initiated, the new behavior, thought, or feeling takes less energy to keep it going. In the beginning, learning anything new, like a new language or golf swing, takes focus and energy.
Practice
After enough practice, it becomes relatively automatic, and your brain will remain wired to perform this task. However, if you do not continue to practice, you will lose the ability to maintain this effortless level.
To help you understand your personal opportunity to improve your attention, take a moment to reflect on the following five statements. As you read each statement, consider how often each statement is true for you. For example, is it rarely true, often true, or very often true? Don’t feel like you need to be exact in your response. Just select a response that seems like a reasonable assessment. As you respond, keep in mind two things. First, no matter where you assess yourself now, there is an opportunity to improve with practice. And second, there is no right way to respond.
My mind tends to wander off even when trying to concentrate.
I get distracted easily.
I have trouble focusing on one task at a time.
I pay attention to sensations in my environment, such as temperature, sounds, colors, and smells.
I have trouble staying focused on what's happening in the present.
Hopefully, your responses to these statements provide a starting place for you to explore how your attention works and learn how to build the control you need. If you would like support in building control over your attention, download Levelhead for Real Life on either app store.