Revive your attention span in 12 minutes with neuroscientist Amishi Jha
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- A neuroscientist explains how to master your focus.
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There is far more information in the environment than our brains can fully process.
Our ability to maintain "attention" allows the brain to prioritize those parts of the environment that are most relevant.
Attention is much more than just focusing. It fuels our ability to think, feel, and connect.
Read the video transcript ► bigthink.com/s...
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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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This is nothing but mindfulness meditation And obviously it's very effective.
Yeah. I'm glad some of this ancient wisdom is reaching more people, but too bad it's from a "scientists" who blew a bunch of grant money to work out a clunky version of one little slice of what has been around us all along, and then they present it like it's some kind of grand new knowledge that only they have come to understand.
Yes, exactly. Her “focus” exercise is almost exactly the mindfulness exercise I started doing about 40 years ago. I guess we’re calling it ‘mind hack’ now. If it helps it find a new audience, that’s a good thing.
**FARTS**
@@ChristopherOrth this is not a full research result. It's a video tip aimed at mass media. Why do you expect it to be all-inclusive?
Also, scientists analyzed and quantified the parts that gurus claimed you just had to trust. Scientific results are _proven_ effective for the audience they test on. Gurus guess, and if it doesn't work on some, those people go elsewhere.
Think of David goggins
Great video. The most crucial point to understand, and she did mention but only briefly - the goal isn't to silence your thoughts at the behest of your focus, the real goal of this exercise is to try notice each time your mind wanders, be aware that you noticed, then return to your focus on the breath.
In other words, the goal is to notice when you lose focus, then to return your focus.
I heard it explained so well years ago by simple analogy - each time you notice your mind wandering and then simply returning your focus back to your breath, it counts as one rep at the gym. The more reps you do, the stronger you'll become over time. Returning to your breath after noticing a distraction is the goal of mindfulness meditation, and the act of doing it many many many times over many months and years, conditions our minds to become much stronger and generally better focused on baseline as a result.
spot on
Awesome
If you're having trouble with silencing the mind, the chitter-chatter or the random visual-memories. Just hold the breath: shut your lips and nostrils. Your mind will stop. Thinking and breathing are subtly interlinked. As a human, never forget this...
The more you practice, you'll see you can silence your mind at will and you will be able to go into a deep focus on whatever you enjoy doing within your daily life.
Thank you for this tip. Do i pinch my nose or just stop breathing durinb this exercise?
@@Rin_Chawngthu I pinch sometimes to really become concentrated. If you don't pinch, that's fine, too. Your air will just, in a sneaky and slowly way, release through your nostrils. When you breathe slow, listen to relaxed your heart becomes. It's bpm will go down to about 27-32. It gets your mind to finally be quiet. Like, it is literally mind-blowing, like, blowing away all of your thoughts.
@@krissifadwa wow, tysm. Appreciate it 😊
yes it works
Thank you for this.
1. Focusing
2. Noticing
3. Redirecting
do this with your breath for 12 min and you'll be able to feel more present
Cheers! Thanks for saving my time and me from the blah, bah, blah.
Just a friendly reminder that the more videos you watch of this type of stuff won’t actually make any improvements unless you act
Bitter truth right here. Watching videos like these give you a false sensation of achievement that ironically results in losing motivation to actually being productive
100%. I would say 12 minutes are way too long for bgeinners. probably best to start with 2 or 3 minutes
For those who would like to delve into the studies, the “flashlight” meditation type is called focused attention meditation (FAM) and the “floodlight” meditation type is known as open monitoring meditation (OMM). Very interesting to read how they can both train different types of awareness and focus!
OMM ... lol
Thanks fam
Finally a possibly helpful focus tool
thank u
Where can we learn more about this?
Fun fact:
For anyone wanting to get into lucid dreaming this is a very great practice. In fact, mindfulness is the key factor of a lucid dream
That, meditation, introspection, and the inability to see my feet in my dreams, finally led to lucid dreaming. 💞
I actively prevent myself from lucid dreaming ~ as soon as I realize it's all a dream, my brain commits revenge by turning it into a nightmare 😃 and then I try to wake myself but I can't, so I get multiple false awakenings and then sleep paralysis ~ Sweet.
@@oddball_oddity While I haven’t experienced that exact situation before, I have experienced something similar, so that definitely sucks.
very interesting comment thank you for sharing@@oddball_oddity
@@oddball_oddity You get what you expect. I find it odd that you phrased it as "my brain commits revenge". Ask yourself where this idea comes from, then apply humor and get over it. For $DIETY's sake, lucid dreaming is FUN and really good for most people's psychological and spiritual well being.
This is Anapana meditation - First steps in Buddhist meditation called Vipassana Meditation, originated in India. West should give credit where it's due.
As a high functional autistic person I found this practice to be not only useful but necessary, from a really early age... In the present, being somewhat of an experienced meditator, more and more I find myself passing my humble knowledge of this to friends, as they start to see the need to do it in this hypermodern rhythm of life. I would say the world has become ever so overwhelming for them as it was always for me, but at least we face it together now
Her voice is incredible! ❤️
As a meditator, I respect all the focus on the breath and how important that is. This whole video is really describing meditation.
A rose by any other name is still a lotus 🙏🏻
What a fantastic speaking voice. I'll bet she is a great storyteller. I've heard this advice before even all the way back to Alan Watts, but for some reason this sunk in and made more sense for me. Must be that voice.
POV: you are scrolling through the comments, looking for a short summary of the video bc your attention span is too messed up😂😂
more like to see if the video is just trying to drag out 8 minutes while only having 30 seconds of actual information.
You can watch in 1.25x or 1.5X and also read description or the transcripts
@cameron vincent "short summary" - transcript
Caught me off guard 😭
You read my mind. I want it quick.
Im 21. I've been struggling hard with anxiety and hipocondría for a long long time for. god sake this video reconeccted me.
I experience enourmous amounts of trauma, child abuse, violence to the resent death of my grandmothers, my grandparent and my motherlas year. I felt lost, feeling that in any moment i was going to die because i wasnt able to control my stress and anxiety. I felt this video teached me again how to be in peace.
To all the lost souls dont give up, suffering is a privilege in the experience of the human Being. Sun is right there for you. Dont search for happines, and it will ask for you. You just have to decide. I love yall. I'll enjoy while im here and i hope we enjoy thogether.
Valen.
This actually worked. Sometimes, my mind is all over the place. I will definitely be using focus, noticing, and redirecting from now. Love this channel.
I know this has nothing to do with religion, but the way she explained reminds me of my grandma. We are Buddhists, and we used to have meditation period during summer holidays. My grandma also sat near me and explained with calm tone while we meditated, almost likely the way she told. It was really wonderful experience and it works guys.
Wow she’s so serene and with a lively but so calming tone. Not just instructional but interesting and immediately helpful video.
Diagnosed autistic/adhd. This is the BEST EXPLANATION I’ve come across!!!! Love this!! Thank you so much
Summary - set a 12 minutes timer , sit down , relax your mind close your eyes and start breathing... normally.... And focus on what you feel while breathing...if you loose Focus go back to again focus on breathing... doing this regularly will make your attention span more
Getting people to meditate without knowing they are meditating
Yoga, meditation and pranayam for people who does not want to accept they are doing yoga, meditation and pranayam. Kee practicing ❤
Paying attention to the breath is firstly taught in Buddhism, it called Ānāpānasati meditation. It is one of the best way to practice one’s focus.
This is Buddhist mindfulness meditation . In Pali language it is called Vippasana meditation. She should mention it somewhere in the video
My mind wandered only if I believe it did. If I overreact to the slightest hints of thoughts and associations, then it's a self-fulfilling prophesy. If I consider myself still paying attention to the breath, I can make it true.
Your analogy of flashlight and floodlight is a great visualization tool that I've already found helpful. Much thanks.
Reminds me of the 10 day vipassana course I did.. Best spent 10 days of my life. Well worth doing.
I did my first vipassana retreat nearly 30 years ago. This video reminds me of day one. Day five was a whole other experience. And today, I can't put into words what years of practice has done for me. I'd highly recommend attending a retreat to almost anyone.
@@Manuka_888 what happened during it?
@@mattsmith1039 An ineffable experience. I'd say complete dissolution but really, words just wouldn't do it justice.
Mindfulness is often discarded as something esoteric, so this kind of videos are great to spread that useful knowledge in a more 'scientific' way.
Thanks - this is very helpful.
This is the best meditation video I've seen till date
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:01 🧠 Attention evolved to help the brain process information efficiently by prioritizing and sub-sampling environmental stimuli.
01:07 🔦 Attention is not just about focus; it also includes other systems like the broad and receptive "floodlight" called the alerting system.
02:37 🤹 Executive control is another aspect of attention, like a juggler keeping multiple goals and actions aligned.
03:42 🧘♀️ A breath-focus practice can help train and protect attention from mind wandering by anchoring the flashlight of attention to the breath.
06:49 🌟 The steps of focusing, noticing, and redirecting practiced with the breath can be applied to daily life, serving as a tool for maintaining attention.
Made with HARPA AI
Where can I find this ai ? Is it free?
This is the number 1 lesson in every meditation guide
It's good to see, that meditation gets more and more promotion.
He voice is so motherly ❤❤
Thank you for this! Her voice was amazing during this quick meditation.
I've got to say, her voice is always this amazing...
*Whether you call it "mindfulness meditation" or the ancient yogic practice of **_Pranayama_** - it really doesn't matter what you call it because it works and this is a great introduction*
Meditation is about being, not doing.
Breathing is the simplest way to quiet the mind - some traditions like Transcendental Meditation also use a mantra. Another method is _Yoga Nidra_ or progressive muscle relaxation.
The hardest thing about learning meditation is learning to stop "doing" and to just _be_
What an engaging speaker. Bravo. Great, simple mediation.
3:27 to skip wasting your time. The gist of it is to focus, keep focusing, refocus, and do it for 12 minutes. It's not like you've never heard this before or never tried to focus. Relax.
I like how she has broken down and explained the basics to Mindfulness Practice/Exercise.
What a beatiful voice! So eloquent!
I find her voice so meaningful and insightful
Wow so it was as a guided meditation..
I love her voice and the way she speaks
This reminds me of the Zazen practice from zen buddhism. I use it to focus and also bring down anxiety. Once, my father's heart pacemaker was defibrillating. My mother and I hurried him to hospital and he sat beside as I drove. I told him to do the zazen practice of breathing. The difference is that I told him to inhale deeply and take longer too exhale, so that he wouldn't hiperventilate. Sometimes my shoulder rubbed his and I could feel the electric shock from his pacemaker defibrillating. Later, we found out the device was defective. My mother told me that the zazen technique helped him a great deal during that crucial moment.
Her voice is just... so soothing.
Her voice is so soothing ☺️
I didn't know this would end with a meditation but I loved it! She has such a nice vibe, I love how she explained everything very simple.
I don't normally comment on UA-cam channel but this is one of the BEST Big think films I've ever watched. Amazing. Thanks Big Think!
0:40 cartography, yes, attention
3:15 is what you came looking here for.
I loved this so much. Without the stress of having to count the breath I was actually able to focus my flashlight on it... for the very first time! Ty❤❤❤
Wow.. ancient indian breathing practices. Simply amazing to open up brain and it's completely free.
There is another psychological intervention similar to this called "The attention training technique". It involves, over 12 minutes, listening to a series of overlapping sounds, and then periodically switching your focus from sound to sound when a narrator tell you to. Someone on UA-cam has created a lot of 12 minute sound scapes to help you practice, and I've found then helpful...just the right amount of instruction / reminders to refocus your attention.
Edit: I believe the attention training technique is used quite a bit in Metacognitive Therapy.
She has a soothing voice.
Amishi is a fantastic communicator 😎
Years ago I learned this technique, but back then I counted the amount of breath I was taking. Lots of stressed days I used this to calm my self
We've been practicing mindfulness for a long time. It was nice to learn a little more about why they work, and to then practice it. Our brain was very disorganised and wandering this morning but practice makes better.
I have this tool that I play with to increase my attention span on a work I currently doing: set a goal on actively seeking an immediate discomfort & celebrate internally if I experience it .. the word immediate is the key here!
How does that work? is it while meditating or while doing something else? if it is actively seems to me its the only thing you are doing?
Mental energy in a precise way
bring it to the EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM ! open discussion with schools, communities , families
I put my focus on several things at once
Multitasking is my thing
It's a creative thing
i like to pray...it helps me a lot 👍
This woman’s voice is perfect
You could also challenge the vaunted multitasking process. Read a difficult book and notice how the distractions intrude. Bring your mind back to the task and eventually this 'executive' function will develop until you can focus up to the the next chapter heading. I used to use a motorbike as well for the same end. Till I could complete a ride and not have thoughts about work, family, or the weekend intrude on the task at hand, enjoying the ride, staying in one piece, etc. I've read that climbing does the same thing. Now retired, and old, I constantly learn new poems/songs and anytime I need them I recite them; going to sleep, exercise (walking only now), the 'office', advertisements (muted), waiting, etc. Don't start with Beowulf. The intensity of mind does make the world more interesting, you see stuff no-one else would notice.
Skateboarding does it for me too. Motorbikes are dangerous because people's mind wander and they ride on auto pilot If I ever catch myself thinking about chores etc. while riding, I give my brain a mental slap / tap on the nose and say "NO!"
This is great advice
This is perfect just what we needed more information. 😵💫
She is GORGEOUS!!!
I'm going to try Now ☺️
Bought and listened to her book on Audible. I definitely enjoyed it and highly recommend it if you want to learn the neuroscience behind meditation practices.
Your voice is so calming😌
I could listen to this woman talk all day.. : )
"Sub-sample parts of what's going on" this line is gold.
Excellent Video. Meditation for working
Settle into ur body - Prophetic Statement 👌
what useful content thank you for providing this information
Seeing comments in here say, "oh well this is just mindfulness," but it's rare to see someone actually properly guide you through DOING it as opposed to just describing it. What's more interesting is a lot of science-minded folks have a hard time grasping the spirituality woowoo side of meditation... But if you look at HRV and autonomic nervous system balancing, you find steady deep controlled breathing by way of something like boxed breathing technique, you get similar results because it resets the balance between your sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
There was something that caught my attention there is really far more information in the environment than can be fully processed. In my experience I often feel that for me to have a full human experience I would need more than just one life, what so far is no possible but we are sharing more and more information and now more than never before information really matters!!😁😁😉😉
Wow thank you so much it helps me a lot❤️
🙏👏 this is amazing advice. It’s so hard to not get distracted in this day and age and I often feel like I’ve forgotten a fundamental part of myself and even how to get back to it. For a brief moment during this exercise I felt myself rather than being outside of myself or within myself and I will definitely be continuing with this exercise.
3:50 when the real exercise or meditation begin and after 6:01 Sweet dreams ✨
Really insightful and very calming video. So great!
this is the most the most helpful video i have seen ,thank you big think a huge thank you
The wandering mind will be redirected to oneself by focusing on breath observation. This is great practice for calmness, and relief from anxiety, and depression. One interesting fact I found by practicing this technique regularly we could understand our thoughts and easily be redirected in a positive direction.
Excellent presentation
This is great!
And it's very similar to the Heartfulness Meditation, the only thing that differs is that the Flashlight is directed towards the heart, and it's also there for you always just like your breath.
Meditation is key to everything
2:42 actions and goals are aligned
I like the white screen behind the chair, creating that "flashlight effect" (and nice contrasting shirt).
Thankyou very much. I felt very good
Watching this video inspired me to contemplate the impact Executive Function, and thus the Beliefs and Emotions present in the sub/un-consciousness, have on Focusing and Noticing with the Attention. The Conscious impacts the sub/un-conscious, and vice-versa, in an integrated feedback loop which can be leveraged for self-improvement.
Awesome Video.
Dr Joe Dispenza has this exercise in his meditations, his meditations are just magical
She is indirectly saying to you do Vipassana meditation. 😊
Wow. So good! 💯
Just as to reach the critical point, you must reach a balance of focus and carelessness or order and chaos, one must experience the moment by maintaining a focus and an unfocus on everything, this is similar to flow. Where to be in a state of flow? You must go down the river and experience everything as it comes to you and be in the moment and watch and experience.
It's kind of like when people warm up they do each action a few times to get the mechanics down to focus on the action before they play a game where they don't focus on the action as much and don't put much care into the specifics of it when they're playing, in the flow of the game in the moment maintaining a balance of focus and watching/experiencing/flowing.
idk if this revived my attention span, but it sure as hell put me in a meditative state.
This is the informative video I think ❤
Very helpful video
We do this when we try to sleep, we focus on sleeping, then when we can’t we notice it and try to redirect it until we fall asleep.. same cycle
So called, "Neuroscience"!! They know today about the benefits ofobserving the breathing pattern. This technique was discovered 2500 years ago by gautam buddha as "aanapanna satti". This is all about observing sensation of "in" an" out" of the breath,and bring the mind in the present moment or present reality(i.e only breathing)
The quote by the master-
"sans dekhte - dekhte satya prakta jaye, satya dekhte- dekhte, param satya dikh jaye"
Exactly 🙏🏻
Lovely mindfulness presentation.
She’s so calming
This video was incredible, thanks
I love it. Thank you.