If your attention span has been hijacked, here’s how to take it back. | Amishi Jha
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- Опубліковано 22 тра 2024
- Where do you place precious brain resources?
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The human brain's attention system is the success story of what makes us unique as human beings.
Because attention fuels our ability to think, to feel, and connect, what we pay attention to is our life. For a long time, throughout our evolutionary history, the brain began to suffer from a very big problem which is that there's far more information out in the environment than could be fully processed.
Attention ended up becoming a very useful solution because it allows us to prioritize information, but there are qualities of the human experience that disable attention. Given how powerful attention is, we need to really respect where we place this precious brain resource.
Read the video transcript ► bigthink.com/series/the-big-t...
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About Amishi Jha:
Dr. Amishi Jha is a professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She serves as the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, which she co-founded in 2010. She received her Ph.D. from the University of California-Davis and postdoctoral training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University. Dr. Jha’s work has been featured at NATO, the World Economic Forum, and The Pentagon. She has received coverage in the The New York Times, NPR, TIME, Forbes and more.
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"What we pay attention to, is our life." This.
Unfortunately not everyone will pay attention to that😔
You familiar with the Dhammapada? Check out the first stanza.
@@tezperez6387 I'm not actually. I may check it out
*Looks up after being on a pointless mouse wheel for hours* ❤️
@@tezperez6387 thanks for the lead mate. 😘
"Take ultimate control of your attention span"
*Saves to Watch Later*
🤣
@@onixotto lol describing me
"Be aware of your breath for 10 minutes same time every day for 20 or 30 days - you will notice a difference". This is what I heard a month ago and I have found it is true. As you said here, maybe I can not yet control my attention but, at least starting to notice where it goes. becoming a friend to it :)
Thank you
@Alex Hyde Thanks for the question Alex. I think as much regularity as possible helps my mind to become familiar with, (and therefore more inclined to engage with) the process. So, same time each day, same chair, same position, same number of breathes, etc etc.
On a related note - I recognise that my mind (and thus, my awareness) jumps around, like a hyperactive child :) So giving it a regular task to do with familiar conditions seems to actually make it feel 'safer' and more secure and more likely to settle and even enjoy the resting experience of paying attention to the breath. Especially if I try set up the meditation with a sense of joyful experimentation.
@@iainmackenzieUK which time do you prefer?
@@IIIlIl Well, I am on Summer holiday at the moment, so, to be honest, I sit down around 7am with a cup of coffee and do my meditation then. Starting with a 'target' of following 5-10 breaths and then see how it goes.
After that, I like to do a few informal practices during the day. again, just a few breaths.
Actually, I am starting to wonder if increasing the frequency of very short sessions during the day is better than aiming for one (or a few) longer ones....
You will never control it. We pay attention to whatever we find valuable or in some way important or urgent. This value system we derive from our own values, which are rooted deep within our psyche and cannot simply be altered since most of them are unconscious and should remain so. Imagine if every fraction of a second you would consciously need to evaluate every single irrelevant and relevant detail in order to decide if it's worthy of your attention or not. Not only would you not be able to do this. You wouldn't even be able to last more than a second.
Would it work if I do it in the gym's sauna?
I like how this video is just a barrage of random distracting stock footage. Close your eyes if you actually want to listen!
Needs to be pinned lol
I think an extra 5 mins about how to do the mindful meditating for 12 mins, would be welcomed by everyone.
There are a tonne of videos on YT that go into Mindfulness. Enjoy exploring them.
I’m also not sure if she meant 12 consecutive mins or not?
Perhaps 3mins 4 times a day, for example, is enough.
One that helps me is the 5 senses:
Focus on -
1 things you can taste
2 things you can smell
3 things you can hear
4 things you can feel
5 things you can see.
It’s easy and available any time and anywhere.
Also, concentrated breathing helps me.
I do it several times a day to reboot.
There are many different kinds for different purposes.
One I find is an almost instant reset for my state of being, is 4,7,8 -
4 counts in through the nose, hold for 7 counts, breathe out through mouth for 8 counts.
Hope this helps 😉
We express our thoughts on our face even in micro expressions which is linked to the animal ego. If you can consciously relax your face fully and not allow thought to trigger a frown or smile etc. then this would be a good step. It happens subconsciously so just now and again while meditating check if your face is fully relaxed. Facial expressions are an end result expression but if you keep this in thought you will be able to hold the expression in your brain more vividly for longer. I would say the mental version of an expression is an impression so basically your having an impression on yourself and therefore closer to knowing yourself on a deeper level.
Meanwhile myself not paying attention to what she is saying. I had to listen to what she was saying again by rewinding this video but lost attention again 😭.
And that’s totally fine! 🤗
It is the nature of the mind to wander and create narratives, but that’s why we practice mindfulness, it’s so that we could gently, skillfully, and meaningfully take back our attention. It’s so that when we need to, we can be aware of what matters to us.
"enlightenment" is the moment when we had managed to hold an absolute one pointed focus, without any distraction, in every single moment of our life. Conter intuitively this means that we then drop all focus completely as our life streams into one unified direction. That means we experience the continuous bliss of a constant uninterrupted flow state, fully present and aware of everything that happens simultaneously. That is enlightenment.
U wot m8?
How do i do that
@@adammorra3813 wrong question, because it implies motives. As long as there's motive, attention is not.
@@adammorra3813 Step 1: find all mental resistance and emotional attachments, both conscious and unconscious. Step 2: release all resistance, and let go of all attachments, including the attachment to any pursuit of enlightenment.
@@swdrre-upload5423 what are you talking about? I want to meditate to live in the moment.
That's true that when we wakeup we are not in the present moment... But when we meditate we are observing those thought, sensation... Mindfulness is amazing exercise..
This is a crazy video where the idea of attention is explained, and the attention of the viewer is given and taken away by the video footage itself.
Its like stupid explaining stupidity. Very redundant.
@@onixotto how else can they get their ideas out?
Was the answer just "pay attention to your attention"?
I like this. Mindfulness is often described as being aware of the body but being aware of the mind is to centre in reality rather than just the environment which is only tangible. It’s a way to step beyond animal ego to be able to perceive it if you wish and see your psyche in a fourth dimensional way like looking from the outside in while being in the centre, like taking your eyes out and throwing them into orbit around you but the vision of the eyes still takes place in the brain.
I honestly wish the video would've been a bit longer because it is such a fascinating topic!
And because she's well spoken!
I wouldn't mind that, I think it got cut out at the important part
@@AtomLabX possible
@@TheScepticalThinker very kind if you, thank you.
I had the same idea, too.
@@adammorra3813 you're welcome
You got “my attention” thanks for the reminder of what a great decision it was to start practicing mindfulness!
I am so happy I’ve watched this video. Your channel is so so eye opening. Thank you.
Wow I loved every second of that!
"Attention is all you need"
Magic! Thanks for sharing this 😍
That technique has really changed my life
Attention is more active in Handicapped people like deaf and blind. Like blind people can hear footsteps which are from distance and deaf people can know what other people are talking by observing their lip movements.
Beautifully explained.
Thanks for the insights 🙏🏽
This is fantastic episode 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🏼👍🏼👍
Great talk.
Interesting. Thx for posting.
Completely agree. Now there are many distractions that make it more difficult to achieve anything you set your mind to. Mental and physical care is essential to maintain concentration and high performance and for that all you need is attitude, the rest is left over!
Lol your name
This is so fascinating! Though I must admit my attention during this video was very much focused on how she has such a great narration voice but it feels odd in the interview format...
Easier said than done; in this world where the information is unlimited and distractions are gargantuan, this is not only challenging to focus but also, if we do, takes mountains to move to get the attention of new generations that are always hankering after their pursuits without knowing the value of attention and focus -- the key elements of success -- need to learn the art of being really happy and attentive.
This content was like a magnet to my attention :)
It repelled it?
Great content. Well organized. Sloooooow delivery.
This made my day!
Its incredible how she wrapped up the human experience in 2024 in like 5min.
“Paying attention is highest form of love”
You got my attention!
Thank you 😊
This video is full of quote worthy matterial.
Id like to think of mindfulness as the opposit of focus as focua is what martial artists use to hone in on the material tarrain around you and put every thought in your head behind you and just "focus on the fight at hand, where your opponent is, your stance and everything around you. Mindfulness is very much the opposit where you have to out away everything around you so you can steer your mind at your will, keeping it on track so attention doesnt wander around.
Love her voice.
I love this channel so much
Haha - I've started meditating this year - highly recommend it. It's very powerful.
How do I know if that's something for me
@@TheScepticalThinker Take a class...twice weekly for 6-weeks. Experiment, as it is about experience, not "good ideas."
I have found that if you focus on one thing every waking moment for a couple of decades you start to get pretty good at it.
Lookit me clicking these youtube links!
I’d genuinely like to hear her take on ADHD.
As with any condition we can employ mechanisms to help us cope and manage which is a safer and more effective way than inorganic chemicals. If we take the approach that good drugs take it’s a clearer path than just sitting with ourselves, first the drug targets the problem then isolates it and then addresses it as it’s own thing rather than the entire person as people may have problems but that doesn’t equate to them being the problem so addressing the person will just create the illusion that they are the problem and possibly dilute the individual rather than address specific problems.
@@Callummullans tf are u talking ab lol😝 but yea i got adhd and like ive heard time and time again to meditate 🧘🏻♀️ but aint fix me and i can hardly manage to do anything routinely >;(
@@shrubbie69 I also have ADHD and I have meditated. I found that my ability to notice things I shouldn't be doing such as procrastination, bad time managing, leaving things till last minute etc. This has help me catch myself and make myself a little more resposable. Meditation is not going to "fix" you BUT it is yet another tool us with ADHD can use. My tip would be to look for a different kind of meditation not "mindfulness" meditation.
@@shrubbie69
If routine doesn’t work for you then don’t try to force it unless you feel held back by this of course. What I’m saying is there isn’t an easy instant fix especially seeing as there is nothing to fix just understand yourself by recognising yourself and by this know how you function best and most comfortably. Meditation can work for a lot of people looking for different stuff but it doesn’t provide all of life’s answers within 10 minutes of quite time if you want to work on your routine then you can start by associating tasks so like after you eat breakfast the first thing you do is rinse and brush your teeth, routine is just a fixed pattern it doesn’t necessarily have to be time allocated.
@@shrubbie69
I struggle with fixed commitments such as work but my routine of listening to summer vibe indie songs before work helps centre me enough to function in the way I need to, I also have a cup of tea at the end of each shift when I get back and most shifts I’m not working because my boss told me to or even for the money, I’m literally working towards my cathartic cup of tea 😋 meditation is put on a pedestal too much the point, in my view, is to feel cathartic from doing not much at all as these are the moments we feel most at peace and at one. Meditation is a state rather than an action.
I have ADHD. i Pay attention to so many things at once,its chaos. Hence,my life is chaos. Médication helps a lot
Big think needs mindfulness for sure! I used to like videos with simple white background and the focus on the person talking. Now, images and constant movement. I feel dizzy after watching one video.
Focusing on breath is best form of mindfulness, this one practice keep you away from future and past and can relax you from stress. It is better make past and future good friend of yours, not the enemy who became cause of suffering.
Very smart
Lovely. More on mindful mediation please
Peek mind works??
great content
Such an important topic, if not the most important
I figured everyone could do that. Now I feel not so alone
"What a waste it is to lose one's mind. Or not to have a mind is being very wasteful. How true that is" - Dan Quayle
ironically, I think ive watched around 20 videos on this same topic
Thank u
Thanks Sam Harris 😊
Actually the title of that video distracted me and I clicked on it while trying to focus on something, in order to get less distracted
Stress can be caused by simple interruptions.
Threat is the timing of disruptions that are synchronously caused to our human self interaction by environmental peculiar incidents of covert hostile behaviours of illiterate domestic terrorists.
Negative mood is simply duration of the 2 said above condition exposures until it stops.
Wow!
Being Aware of being Aware is the highest meditation practised.
You sounded like Eckhart Tolle. Lol!!!
@@luckyadeloye3452 Rupert Spira actually lol
@@ElAsh-pc7fr You mentioned Rupert Spira? I can see you are really on a journey. Lol!!! Namaste!
@@luckyadeloye3452 was..I'm home now🙏
Thanks for stating the obvious
Everything that I pay attention to is what I consider “my world,” my subjective experience. Only some lines from this video will enter my world
Mindfulness is tough sometimes
I forgot what it was about already. Which is a good thing.
@@onixotto unless there are tips and tricks you’d like to integrate. But then that just takes effort
The quality of your mind determines the quality of your life - Sam Harris
His waking up app has improved my life beyond words
Wow... I definitely don't feel the positive affects of good experiences or connection
Although I love them, BT videos exemplify this point. The need for for constant jump cuts/movement/extraneous shots has become ubiquitous in short-form video to retain attention in a TikTokified world. Interesting to understand whether these features enhance the understanding of the subject or simply keep our attention on the screen rather than the message. Whilst I like the aesthetics of more recent Big Think videos, I often find myself simply listening to the audio as the video crew know their craft too well.
My attention is hijacked by Big Think.
The message that is given is splendid, but i think there's too many cuts of stock videos, they're really distracting and honestly kind of ironic.
Before the internet, I could sit and read a book. After years of 'surfing', I find I can't even read a page of a real book without my mind wandering. I would like to go back.
Attention is fuel. Wow!!
What if I’m highly neurotic and therefore already very aware of my mental processes BUT still struggling with the ability to control my attention. Has my ADHD crippled me?
I love the fact that this video is on UA-cam, you are truly mining the depths of irony.
Can someone recommend me some videos about mindful meditation? How it works and how to practice it? Wanna try it but don't know where to start
I have figured out up to meta awareness on my own. I have said I need to download a thought process to my kids. I want them to know how to process the information they receive, and to be aware of what it actually means to you.
One example is to find a point in space that you can see. Focus on it to a point, but not so much that you get vertigo and see nothing else. Then move the mental camera in your head. Try to see the world in 3-d like if you control the camera on Mario. Then you can start to focus on everything you can see and not just the one spot you were focused on. Your aware of the space between objects and not just the objects themselves.
Bit like Huberman time space bridging.
The line where the spiritual and science meet
Interesting :)
I practice mindfulness and mindful meditation, it's a great practice.
Practice is the key word 😉 Thank you for the video 😊
How ironic that we're watching it on a platform that constantly tries to disrupt our attention
I recommend "Nobody Knows what attention is" by Hommel, an article which exposes how nobody agrees what the definition of attention is.
Ironically, I've triying to watch this video without getting distracted, not an easy task
Kinda meta how this hijacked my attention.
Day 1 of no smoking
All of these smells, colors, lights, traffic sounds, the test of my coffee. All of it are just too much for me right now
mindfullness
What’s the sound for the background of this video?
"Attention! Attention!", "Here and now, boys! Here and now!"
When you suffer from seere anxiety this is very hard
I agree and disagree, we have to let our minds wander for critical thinking and dialogue in our own minds, but we shouldn't distract ourselves from it with focusing on it too hard or by going on our phones. There's nothing wrong with being bored, which is what mind wandering is. free flowing thoughts can be fun and useful to your experience and understanding of life too. We should give ourselves more permission to be bored and enjoy that experience as well the same way we can learn to enjoy the exact physical moment we're in.
I agree and disagree. I used to feel bored all the time and I still do sometimes in fact I was pretty reckless and not really conscious for it. I would say boredom can and even should be utilised as this is a place where nuance is easier found and recognised like I have emotional states that don’t have words in English due to familiarising myself with this part of the emotional spectrum such as saudade and hiraeth.
what's the difference between attention and mind flow?
Attention is not a " solution ." It's an emergent property from the subconscious mind which see everything. Attention is a natural outgrowth. Not a construct.
I guess I'm old school - no smart phone and no social media.
the awareness of inattention is called attention.
Those who benefit from mindfulness practice may want to further their practice by learning Samatha and Vipassana meditation.
This is spiritual
the results of our attention put into the screen result in a stronger machine and weaker human....most of this is ancient knowledge...
I feel like this channel tries to sum up extremely complex topics way too quickly. Maybe its because people have no attention span anymore but for the few of us who truly want to learn, it's worth elaborating.
“ Paying attention to our attention “
"for your business" hi, how can i become a mindful obedient capitalist?
Get off Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, snapchat, etc.
That saves about 80 percent of people's time.
" Mindful meditation "
I'm 47 years old and own a flip phone by choice -old school ones with no internet. I don't need a Smart phone. I have a laptop. I have no social media. I get things done and when I socialize with friends...I give them my attention. I hate all the notifications and advertisements and alerts. Inner peace will never be achieved if we keep up with this technology 16 hours a day since we do sleep in a day as well.
Low attention span?
Core message of the video at 5:32
My attention span is so fucked up that i cannot even watch any video if theres a video make me curious i just save it to watch later and never watch low attention span make you dissatisfied
I have ADHD. I had to rewatch this because I spaced out half way through.
I also have adhd. Try watching things at a faster speed. I generally listen to things at 1.5x speed but will crank it up to 2x speed if it's losing me. It might help you out.
VUCA is such an important systems analysis term. Since finding it I know how to describe fuzziness when I am explaining a concept that needs reduction