Fractured Attention

Why it's so hard to concentrate, and why it matters.

I recently conducted an experiment on my brain. There were no electrodes, no invasive tools to lift the scalp and dissect the pulpy flesh beneath, nothing more than the attempt to sit perfectly still. It was an experiment I failed. Let me explain.

A regular part of my Saturday morning away from the desk involves listening to

Sam Harris

’ podcast, Making Sense. On this recent morning, I went back to a favourite episode from a few years ago, called “The Price of Distraction”. In it, Harris and his guest address the ways in which technology is fracturing our ability to pay attention. I did the obvious thing for anyone who likes a little self-improvement with their morning coffee and vowed to sit still in my armchair and listen to all seventy-two minutes of the podcast while doing nothing but give it my full attention.

Punchline: I managed six minutes and three seconds before I lost concentration.

I was distracted by Harris’ discussion of the term “information foraging”. His guest was Adam Gazzaley, wh…