Attention Span

A groundbreaking new look at how we pay attention that can help us perform better—and be happier—in the digital world.

When psychologist Gloria Mark began researching how technology affects human attention, offices were just entering into the digital age. Often, she might find just one computer in an entire company. In the decades since, the digital world has rapidly grown and our attention spans have gotten smaller and smaller. While the concept of “flow” has previously dominated scientific thought as the ideal state of focus, Dr. Mark offers a new framework to help explain how our brains function in the digital world: kinetic attention.

In this career-defining book, Dr. Mark shows how much of what we think we know about attention is wrong, including such insights as: The four types of attention that we experience every day and how to recognize them Why multitasking harms rather than helps productivity What drains our mental resources and how to refuel them How social media and modern film techniques cater to—and exacerbate—our short attention spans

Drawing on the latest research, Attention Span reveals a new scientific perspective and shows how we can take control of our attention not only to find more success in our careers, but to find health and wellness in our everyday lives.