“A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention.” – Herbert Simon
After scrolling through your phone for a few hours after school, you finally sit down to begin working. Immediately, you’re hit with a wave of dread. There are so many other things you’d rather be doing right now. Your homework is taking forever, it must’ve been over an hour since you started. You check the time. It’s only been 20 minutes. How can that be?
Just then, you get a notification. You grab your phone, relieved at a chance to do something other than schoolwork. After checking the message, you instinctively navigate to Instagram Reels. “Just a few videos,” you tell yourself, “as a reward for all my hard work.” A few videos turn into scrolling mindlessly for who knows how long. The next thing you know, you’re turning in assignments that are far from your best effort, but it’s 15 minutes to midnight; who cares? Finally, you crawl into bed and watch your phone until you fall asleep.
Our Attention
William James, who is considered the father of American psychology, defines attention as “…the taking possession by the mind of one out of several simultaneously possible objects or train of thoughts.” In other words, focusing on one thing in particular without deviating to other distractions. A study by Dr. Gloria Mark of the University of California, Irvine shows that our attention spans have shrunk from 2 and a half minutes to 47 seconds on average. A survey conducted by TikTok stated that over 50% of its users reported feeling stressed if a video was over one minute long. The problem is bleeding over into education, as teachers have noticed students are having difficulty comprehending and engaging in lessons, especially for extended periods of time. So, what is the root cause of this nationwide, or even worldwide, deficit of attention? Most sources agree that our exposure to online distractions is to blame, but deeper than that, it is a matter of brain chemistry.
The Digital Trap
Online influences are constantly fighting for our attention. Recent studies have shown that platforms are purposefully structuring their content to be more addictive and harder to put down. Former Mozilla employee Aza Raskin states, “It’s as if they’re taking behavioral cocaine and sprinkling it all over your interface and that’s the thing that keeps you coming back…” Technology companies have this down to a science. To increase their profits, thousands of engineers are at work devising new ways to stop you from looking away, from a swiping structure that won’t let your brain impulses catch up with your motions to algorithms that try to predict what you want to see.
With the new “shorts” format that many online platforms are using, one can absorb an absurd amount of information in very little time. To keep up with the constant bombardment of stimuli when online, the brain resorts to intense multitasking. Studies show that such intense multitasking and switching between demands for our attention results in an increased heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, and a release in cortisol, the stress hormone, according to life and wellness coach Dennis Buttimer, M.Ed, CEAP, RYT, CHC. Why, then, do we persist in relieving ourselves with an activity that wears us down mentally? The answer is to get our dopamine fix.
Brain Chemistry
The act of checking and watching our phones gives us a small boost of dopamine, which many know as the “happy hormone.” However, dopamine isn’t directly responsible for happiness, rather, it is responsible for reinforcing behaviors that create happiness. It’s the same hormone that fuels cigarette, vape, and drug addictions. With every video, we get a hit of dopamine, again and again and again, subconsciously telling ourselves that we should be doing this. An hour or two in, our brains are so “high” on dopamine that we tune out the other signals our body is sending us. Suddenly, headaches, tired eyes, cognitive fatigue, and subconscious anxieties are irrelevant. Day in and day out, the brain is given the same message: “This phone makes me feel good, these videos make me feel good, we can’t stop.” Through classical conditioning, the very presence of a phone can trigger a dopamine release.
Connecting the Dots
So, how are the structure of digital media and dopamine influxes connected to shortened attention? It’s all about warped perception. The structure of digital media reshapes the brain to be prone to distractions. The ceaseless stimulation actively rewires our brains to be accustomed to quick thinking and constant switching between topics, making it harder for us to hone in on one thing for prolonged periods. The brain is a muscle, so shifting between subjects becomes muscle memory. The influx of dopamine derived from digital media floods your brain’s reward system. Your brain remembers this flood of satisfaction and associates it with the event that caused it, encouraging you to do it again.
However, for the height of the dopamine high, there is an equally low crash afterward. The flood raises your happiness to unnatural levels but leaves feelings of depression, dissatisfaction, and emptiness in its wake, prompting the chase for dopamine once again. In comparison to the pleasure of scrolling, doing work looks all the bleaker. Couple that with a disinterest in the task at hand, and it may never be completed. What was once a monotonous task becomes a heavy burden when compared to a dopamine flood. Minds whose perception of enjoyment is warped are inclined to search for any distraction to avoid confronting what they perceive as tedious and soul-destroying chores.
The Effect of the Addiction
Shortened attention spans ultimately result from the lack of brain development and discipline that are generated and encouraged by online culture. The mental strain and stress from the stimulus overload of the digital world contribute to anxiety, depression, and burnout, possibly leading to chronic diseases and negatively impacting overall mental health. Dopamine addiction makes us incapable of denying ourselves instant gratification and erases any tolerance for boredom – it’s one of the main reasons we pick up the phone in the first place.
“I pick up my phone because I get bored of the work I’m doing, whether it’s homework or I’m just trying to do something,” sophomore Alyssa Hinson says. “If I don’t enjoy what I’m doing, I will most likely get on my phone because I’m just bored.” Apart from boredom, we seek emotional escapism—a distraction from the difficulties of day-to-day life, rendering us unable to face it head-on.
What Does this Mean for Students?
The effects of attention deficit are liable to impact all areas of life, most notably academics. Switching between subjects creates more room for error. Dr. Mark states that this error-making is “…shown in studies in the real world with physicians, nurses, pilots.” Switching from one task to another, you’re constantly having to reorient yourself, slowing down how fast you complete work. The lack of mental endurance characterized by short attention spans makes it harder for students to engage in and understand what they’re learning. According to Santa Maria College, studies show that students with decreased attention “…perform worse on tests, struggle to retain information long-term, and have a harder time connecting disparate ideas…”, negatively impacting grades and authentic understanding of subjects. According to The Mirror, teachers have noticed it’s difficult for students to “…stay engaged in any kind of classroom activity for more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.” If this trend continues, the future of academic performance will decline to unimaginable depths.
How To Stop the Cycle
It would seem that the cycle of craving for dopamine, feeling low, and running back to technology is never-ending, but individuals can build habits to break themselves out of this cycle and increase their attention spans.
Limit your screen time
The key to breaking any addiction is limited use. Be mindful of how much time you’re spending on the phone by setting limits or timers. Little by little, you can train your body to no longer rely on devices for satisfaction.
Don’t give yourself the opportunity
When working, try to eliminate distractions by turning off notifications or putting your phone somewhere you can’t see or reach it. It could even be as simple as not having a large number of tabs open on your computer.
Don’t get on your phone first thing in the morning
Instead of exposing yourself to a world of distractions, try to find mental clarity. Starting on the right track could greatly impact the rest of your day.
Don’t get on your phone before bed
The blue light of the phone screen disrupts your brain’s procedure to fall asleep, so try to limit phone use before bed. More sleep also relieves stress and helps reset your body after a day full of distractions.
Live in the here and now
Strengthen your mind by savoring your current experiences. What are you feeling right now, at this instant? Try to quiet the business inside your head and find clarity.
Form the habit
Several habits could improve your attention span. Some examples include social interaction, learning an instrument, reading, solving puzzles, and physical exercise.
Overall, the key to breaking the cycle and improving your attention span is to find happiness and fulfillment in real-life experiences. Living in a digital world creates fabricated happiness that doesn’t last. By learning to enjoy each moment, we can truly live life to its fullest without having to rely on a false reality.
