Attention spans in modern life are shrinking, impacting daily activities and productivity, according to experts like Dr. Gloria Mark of the University of California-Irvine and Dr. Evita Singh of The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. Local residents also report changes in behavior, suggesting a widespread challenge to sustained focus. Efforts to improve concentration, utilizing techniques such as mindfulness and well-timed breaks, could help strengthen diminished attention.
Dr. Mark, a psychologist and chancellor’s professor of informatics, has tracked this decline over nearly two decades. In 2004, she measured that the average person switched computer screens every 2 minutes, 30 seconds. By 2012, this time had significantly shrunk to 1 minute, 15 seconds. Around 2018, Dr. Mark determined the average human attention span had further decreased to 47 seconds, a finding she presented in a 2023 interview with the American Psychological Association.
These findings resonate with the observations of Lima residents. Joe Jones wrote on The Lima News’ Facebook page that people act differently when driving, exhibiting behaviors like cutting others off and using derogatory gestures, which they typically avoid when confronting people outside a car. Resident Aspen Birchfield noted that people become impatient, tapping their cards before cashiers finish ringing up items or setting PIN pads, and growing angry if employees aren't immediately available for assistance in places where staff have duties throughout a building.
A widely recognized cause for dwindling attention spans is short-form social media and video content. Bynder, a leader in digital asset management, reported in 2023 that the average marketing video duration was 76 seconds, a sharp drop from 168 seconds in 2016. The company predicts this trend will continue, with videos averaging 39 seconds by 2026.
Stephen Christman, a psychology professor emeritus at the University of Toledo, cited the tightening of modern songs, social media posts, and digital communications as contributors to a problem he describes as an "addiction to the instant gratification" of rapid information. Dr. Singh also pointed to the increased "bursts of information" from digital devices, which offer immediate rewards and make it easier to lose focus. She added that stress, insufficient sleep, and other unmet physical needs can also lead to distraction.
Professor Christman noted that while human attention spans are "naturally short," the advent of the printing press first directed human attention to "conceptual attention," focusing on thoughts and written material. He claimed that the modern "loss of attention" is more a decline in the *practice* of sustained focus, suggesting a "use-it-or-lose-it nature" to this ability. Dr. Singh supported this view, stating that evidence suggests our brain's capacity to concentrate has not declined, but rather that the *behavior* of focusing has become problematic.
This difficulty in sustaining attention often leads to a greater tendency to "task switch," according to Dr. Singh. This results in increased challenges in completing tasks, potentially leading to procrastination and a decline in work quality over time. Dr. Singh explained that if individuals cannot sustain attention for long periods, work-related and school-related efforts may become "more disjointed or not done in the same effort." Dr. Mark echoed this, noting that multitasking leads to performance decline through "switch costs," which is the additional time needed to refocus on an activity. She stated that decades of laboratory research show people experience "stress and blood pressure rises" from multitasking.
In an August interview with SciLine, Dr. Mark further argued that attention loss contributes to less "depth of processing," a psychological theory meaning the ability to truly understand and retain information in memory. She emphasized that students studying for exams, for example, need to engage deeply with material and ask questions, giving full attention to truly process and retain information.
Fortunately, experts suggest remedies for improving focus. Professor Christman recommended mindfulness meditation, a practice involving sitting in a quiet room for about 10 minutes and focusing solely on one's breath. If thoughts arise, one should gently acknowledge them ("Oops, I’m thinking") and return attention to the breath. He believes this dedication can help control attention, making it easier to focus on tasks like reading a book or listening to a song. Christman stated that studies show mindfulness training strengthens "executive function and attention."
Dr. Mark advised taking breaks from work at natural stopping points, such as the end of a paragraph or section in a writing task. She emphasized that being aware of when the body needs to replenish is crucial for conserving mental resources and reducing stress, which can otherwise lead to attention loss.
Ultimately, Dr. Mark believes that preserving our ability to focus is essential to preserving our identity. She explained that whatever we pay attention to enters our working memory, gets processed, and eventually becomes part of us, making attention "the gateway to forming our experiences."