Your Attention, Please

With all the distractions we face these days, can you actually concentrate on something longer than, say, a goldfish can?

If it weren’t for her live-in boyfriend, says Jessica Winston, her North Jersey home likely would be in disarray. The 37-year-old works from home, as does her significant other, and during her downtime she often starts household projects: doing laundry, washing dishes, cooking dinner, propagating plants. It sounds like she’s a multitasker, but there’s one problem. “I’ll often start something but won’t finish it because I’ve moved on to a different task,” she says. “So my boyfriend is always closing cupboard doors that I’ve left open, replacing boxes that I’ve scattered or moving clothes from the washer to the dryer.” 

Winston chalks her problem up to a shortened functional attention span, and the Mayo Clinic backs her up—leaving tasks partially done is a leading sign of that phenomenon, it says. And anecdotal evidence suggests that she’s far from alone. While many of us remark on our so-called “multitasking” ability, our lengthening “things to do” lists and our availability to an escalating number of rings and dings throughout the day, there’s a growing sense that the center isn’t holding—that we’re all harried and distracted, and that our very busyness is making us less effective instead of more.

So, what’s causing our shortened attention spans? To answer, it’s important to understand the science of attention, which is the core cognitive ability to actively and passively process nearby information, says Nathan Carroll, D.O., chief resident psychiatrist at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Neptune. When information is processed, it’s stored in the prefrontal cortex of the brain as “working memory” and used in the execution of cognitive tasks. “The brain’s frontoparietal network is crucial to attention, as it filters out what we want and where and how attention is allocated,” he says. A shortened attention span occurs when the brain doesn’t have the ability to process information for a prolonged period.

Attention spans can range anywhere from two seconds to two hours, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, a branch of the National Institutes of Health. The purported 8.25-second average attention-span statistic publicized by the Microsoft Corporation in 2015—a span shorter than that of a common goldfish—has since been debunked. But that’s not to say our collective attention spans are not diminishing. They are, and the number of distractions facing each of us plays a large role in the decline.

“In today’s culture, attention spans are decreasing because we tend to respond to stimuli that are easy to pay attention to,” Dr. Carroll says. “These things include danger and things that are consistent with what we already believe.” Monotony is something many minds can no longer tolerate, which leads us to disengage. “Thanks to our devices, smartphones, modern movies and TV where something is always happening, we’re intolerant of boredom,” the doctor adds. “We’re habituated to have our brains engaged. The default-mode network of the brain becomes more active when there’s decreased stimuli, which disengages our focus.” 

• Signs of shortened attention span. Multiple incomplete tasks, as in Winston’s case, could indicate one’s diminishing attention span. Other clues could be poor work performance, mental strain and fatigue. For children, the inability to focus on homework as well as “annoying others” can serve as clues. “Kids with shortened attention spans might interrupt others mid-conversation or seem uninterested in activities or with other people,” says Dr. Carroll. 
• Is it a concern? In many cases, a shortened attention span is not indicative of a more serious underlying condition, and people can refuel their mental resources with good sleep and better nutrition. “There are times to multitask, but I encourage creating a time to focus on one single thing,” our expert says. “This will help exercise your attention, and it makes completing the activity more fulfilling.” Dr. Carroll also suggests creating boundaries with hyperconnectivity and putting down devices. “Having the entire world at our fingertips is not always good for us. Embrace more activities that require sustained attention, such as reading, hiking, sewing or playing table tennis.”

There are cases, however, where a reduction in attention span is the result of a medical condition. In recent years, there’s been an uptick of Americans diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)—in 2023, about 6 percent of U.S. adults (around 15 million) reported having been diagnosed with the condition, while an earlier estimate was around 4.5 percent, reports the Association of American Medical Colleges.

“It’s important to be mindful when poor attention creates work and/or personal problems,” Dr. Carroll says. “It can lead to moodiness and anxiety. When that happens, it’s time to talk about it and seek help from your doctor or a psychiatrist.” Attention spans naturally decline with age, but Dr. Carroll notes that for older adults, difficulty concentrating can be an early symptom of a brain disorder such as dementia.

“If someone’s always had good attention but it suddenly gets worse, it’s time to seek medical attention,” he says. Tools such as bloodwork, brain scans and neuropsychological testing can accurately diagnose cognitive disorders.

For Winston, our multitasker, an internal alarm goes off when she recognizes that she’s losing focus—now that she’s aware of her problem. “That’s when I tell myself to finish what I’m doing, or I ask my boyfriend for help with chores so I can concentrate on one thing.” 

Adds Dr. Carroll: “For some people, it won’t be an issue, and there are strategies to work around poor attention and lack of concentration.”