It happens to everyone. You are reading an article, but after a few lines the mind wanders elsewhere. You start thinking about something else, take the phone in your hand, open another card, and you find yourself shaking without realizing it. For years we have heard that our attention ability has drastically reduced, and some data seem to confirm it. Microsoft, in a 2015 study, calculated that the average attention threshold dropped from 12 to 8 seconds, especially in the young people of the Gen Z.
Eight seconds. A very short time. Yet it is the duration that, according to a recent UEFA rule, should be enough for a goalkeeper to get rid of the ball. If it exceeds this limit, the opposing team gets a corner kick. The goal of the rule is to avoid waste of time, but the curious fact is that it could also reflect a wider data: eight seconds is perhaps also the maximum time in which we can remain careful when nothing happens.
But before thinking that we have all become unable to focus, it is important to understand how attention really works. And above all, know that we can still do something to improve it.
There is no only type of attention
The term “attention” seems simple, but in reality it is a set of different mental processes. Based on the situation, we use different types of attention, involving distinct areas of the brain. When a goalkeeper looks at the field to understand who to pass the ball, activate a form of attention called “visual scanning”. It means observing the environment quickly, grasping the essential information to make a quick decision.
A study conducted on Premier League players has shown that a visual scan lasting about ten seconds can slightly improve performance. The most experienced players tend to observe the field for longer than the others, except in moments of strong pressure by the opponents. This type of attention, used in real time during action, is called “hot cognition”, an intuitive process influenced by emotions, similar to the so -called instinct.
The “Cold Cognition”, on the other hand, is the one we use when we reflect calmly, plan or make rational decisions. It is the type of attention activated during a meeting, when we analyze a problem, or even when a technical staff studies a game by reviewing the images with a cold mind. The two forms are different, but both fundamental.
Even when we meet a person for the first time, we use quick and emotional attention. We immediately form an impression, often linked to the appearance or an expression of the face. It is an immediate evaluation, which can change over time thanks to a deeper, sustained and rational attention. This is what happens, for example, in Jane Austen’s “pride and prejudice”, where the initial impressions between Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet are transformed only after having better known the other.
The brain, therefore, does not always work in the same way. Different areas are activated according to the type of attention required. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex is involved in emotional decisions, while the dorsolateral one activates in the most logical processes. Also for this reason, it makes no sense to speak of a single attention that is deteriorating.
The motivation makes the difference
If the average attention stops at eight seconds, how is it possible that millions of people listen to podcasts of an hour or do they read novels for whole hours? The answer is in the motivation. When we are really interested in a topic, we manage to maintain the concentration much longer. And this applies to everyone, not only for those who have excellent memory or a iron discipline.
A concrete example comes from the world of school. Many parents wonder why their children are unable to focus on homework, but then spend hours playing the computer. Here too, the key is in emotional involvement. When an activity amuses, passionate or stimulates a challenge, the mind focuses naturally. It is not a question of willpower, but of activating the right brain areas.
Even in formal learning, the way in which a content is transmitted can make a difference. Research conducted on medical students has shown that the information presented between the 15th and 30th minute of a lesson are the ones that are remembered better. On the contrary, the material exposed in the first minutes is often forgotten. This suggests that it is not only the duration to count, but also how the content is structured.
Another interesting figure concerns the position of the students in the classroom. Those who sit in front tend to remember more than those who are in the last rows. But more than a visual advantage, this difference could reflect the degree of initial motivation.
According to the researcher Neil Bradbury, the combination of the teacher’s passion, quality of content and ability to stimulate curiosity and emotion is essential to maintain attention. It is not enough to explain well, you must also know what can really interest those who listen, alternating words, images, stories and breaks that allow the mind to rework.
If we want to improve our attention, we must start considering ourselves an active part of the process. Our brain is plastic: it adapts to the environment, but it can also be trained. Choosing content that we are passionate about, reducing distractions, changing rhythm between activities, are all simple but effective strategies.
It is not a question of recovering an alleged ideal past in which we were most careful. Rather, it is a question of understanding what involves us today, in the context in which we live, and learn to protect and stimulate our attention consciously.
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