ATTENTION SPAN: 8 seconds. That is how long one person, on average, can focus

Are you still here? That sentence above Attention span is “the length of time for which a

person subject.” According to a study by Microsoft Corporation, was 12 seconds. This shows a decrease of about 30 percent. the steps to learn more about attention span, its decrease,

Social Age and Brain Function

While social media plays a huge role in the lack of focus students have, as one starts to age, the decrease in attention span starts to occur naturally. The University of Toronto conducted an experiment which found that the areas of the brain that enable concentration do not get enough activity in older ages.

The brain is very complex and each part plays a crucial role in life whether known or not. A study led by the University of South Carolina found that the locus coeruleus is associated with loss of attention. This part of the brain is a small area of the brainstem and connects to many other parts. Its sole purpose is to keep brain activity focused during stressful and exciting periods of time. Also, it controls the release of norepinephrine. This hormone influences attention, memory, and alertness.

The USC study shows that in older ages, many are more susceptible to distractions during stressful or exciting situations. During the emotional arousal, the researchers concluded that the connection between the locus coeruleus and the frontoparietal network was weaker in the older participants then with the younger.

Many scientists believe that around thirty years old, the brain starts to contract and shrink. However, Harvard Health states that this in fact is not true. Scientists now view the brain as ever changing and developing, yet, some brain functions do decrease with age. The hippocampus is one area that does shrink and the myelin sheath, surrounds and protects nerve fibers, wears down over time. This can slow down how fast neurons communicate with one another which then affects your ability to encode new information and retrieve old information.

Scientifically, it is proven that during younger ages, attention span and focus should be at its maximum capacity. However, extraneous factors, such as social media, have disrupted this and therefore became the leading cause as to why this generation is easily distractible.

According to the University of Maine, social media trolled. It allows people to connect and make genuine vides entertainment and a way to pass time. However, to escape.

Due to social media’s rising levels of distractibility, been negatively impacted without realizing how much apps, such as TikTok and Instagram, have users accustomed easily get lost in the millions of videos; a five minute People have gained the mindset of social media new platform once bored with one. Thus this behavior concept of social media does not directly correlate use of it does. Students know that they can easily access causing them to not pay attention in class nor retain thing they need in their hand.

According to Rueters, American households have pandemic. When the world was shut down, the only through technology. The integration of technology, work as well, plays a significant impact on their functionality. on technology and social media.

Washington post mentions how 2/3 of American utes spent daily. Technology allows users to disconnect in more ways than thought.

Are you wanting to improve your attention

Congratulations, if you’ve made it this far, you officially have a longer attention span goldfish. It is possible to help improve your attention span and here are a few ways.

Actively Listen

Practice attentive listening.

Whether it’s chatting with a friend or listening to a podcast, focus on keeping the body still, not interrupting, and limit any distractions.

Ways to practice this include taking a walk and observing things around the world or focusing and counting breaths.

Use a

Choose a planner. Life can get overwhelming using a planner helps and organizing exactly to be done. It helps is important without remember every appointment assignment.