Candice Bergen | 10/15/2009 12:00 am

Candice Bergen on What Destroyed Our Attention Spans

In response to: Is multitasking something to move toward or away from?

Multitasking seems to have wormed its way into our brain matter and I’m not sure that’s a good thing, but it’s tough to turn back now. What’s most distressing is multitasking when driving. Oy. That gets me nuts. Texting. Talking. Drinking. Watching TV. All the while at the wheel. Insane.

And I think it has destroyed our attention spans. Well, on top of MTV rapid cutting. We don’t stand a chance of sustaining a thought or conversation over a minute and a half.

Read more about: Balance, Lifestyle, Management

14 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

I think at this point our attention span is 30 seconds. And our 15 minutes of fame has become 15 seconds.

By Baby Snooks on 10/15/2009 4:37 am

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Meditation is a great tool to find yourself and your center in the madness.

It takes focus to meditate, mulitasking breaks focus and at times creates confusion.

Take time everyday to be grateful for your blessings and find enjoyment in what you do…

That’d be a key to me.

Amy, PennDragon Studios

PennDragonStudios.com

By Amy Stewart Hale on 10/15/2009 7:51 am

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I have a good attention span. I can watch a show or listen to the same radio station for on end. I guess I am still a little old fashion.

By Beth Cornell on 10/15/2009 9:55 am

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I have ADHD (diagnosed by one of the best neuropsychiatrists in NY) so, I came by it naturally. To me, multitasking is normal.

By Shera Sutherland on 10/15/2009 10:17 am

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Multitasking is so overrated! Life is so much simpler when you don’t it is possible to do one thing at a time. While not always possible, things tend to get completed with greater accuracy and I find I tend to feel better about myself with the sense of completion. Multi-tasking does nothing more than cause anxiety and more nervous people… possibly even longer-term health issues. I had briefly been diagnosed with ADHD, but only to find out, I have a pre-dementia condition where some of the early symptoms are those more like ADHD. Learning to single task has not been easy, but it is so much more satisfactory.

By Christina Zahn on 10/15/2009 10:52 am

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The problem is that when our attention spans are shortened and we multi-task too much, we never truly pay attention to the details, or the big picture for that matter. Does anyone ever really give thought to or process the important issues in our lives except when an emergency warrants it? On the other hand, perhaps by multitasking, we have gained a more intuitive feel for people and things, and have to pay attention to our intuition in an immediate way. This may be a good thing. But then again, who really knows?

By sandra skolnik on 10/15/2009 12:12 pm

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Since I am a cat, I find it challenging enough to concentrate on one thing at a time. This is especially true when I try to hunt so I can’t imagine how hard it woud be to multitask. Dice

By Dice the Nice on 10/15/2009 12:14 pm

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Candice I found this to be true when I was a Working, Full Time Mother, you had to multi-task to get things done. But now I do what needs to be done when it needs to be done and go when I want to go (where ever), and I can sit and talk with whom ever I wish for as long as we wish.

I don’t like being retired, (unable to work), but it has it’s upsides too, like being able to get in the car and visit the Kids on a minutes notice, or helping someone out because you can and want to.

I’m only in my early 50’s and God knows how much longer i’ll be around, but I’ll spend that time it helping those I can and enjoying what this earth has to offer.

By Deniseann Taylor on 10/15/2009 12:36 pm

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Multi-tasking is a complete misnomer. Besides if something is worth doing shouldn’t we be giving it our full attention? Studies have shown that society is more productive when we are focused and not trying to do too many things at once.

By CJ McDonald on 10/15/2009 12:46 pm

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Multitasking gets me no where. With fibro fog I need to concentrate on one thing at a time. The job gets done with no stress and a feeling of accomplishment.

By Bonnie Schuster on 10/15/2009 1:47 pm

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The thing is that multi-tasking seems so necessary. But why am I so busy? It’s been years since I let my assistant go (Too extravagant; didn’t need one.) and I can trace the number of things in my life that have not gotten done and the number of years they’ve been waiting to get done back to that time. So it’s with a big sigh today that I’m thinking of hiring an assistant again. And why would a woman with no job or children need to do that? Busy-busy-busy-ness that I heap upon myself. That’s why.

By victoria hallman on 10/15/2009 1:54 pm

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Most people cannot make a move without their phones. The business, husband, boyfriend, home, the kids, the dog, the list goes on……everyone is obsess with the phone. The accidents it has cause is out of control. Once I had a small dinner party when the phones appeared at the table I said, no phones allowed on the table during dinner. We had a lovely time with great conversations. The phone is such a distraction not to mention the accidents they cause.

By Rose Everett on 10/15/2009 4:59 pm

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When I finished teaching in the late 90’s, some one asked me to recall some of the most memorable times of my career. She then asked me what one major change had I noticed since beginning in 1967. I told her that in the last 10 years I had noticed how difficult it was to increase the attention span of my students. They were able to do research on a computer, with headsets on plugged in to unrelated music, with the TV blaring in the background. They told me that they always did their homework and studied for tests with headsets on and the TV blasting. Some took my advice & studied without the tech stuff, but most didn’t. No wonder it was difficult for them to concentrate when it came to learning tasks while doing on-the-job training. All of my children ages 21 to 36 do the same multi tasking thing. But the rule in my house is that when we are having dinner, all Cell Phones, Blackberries & TV have to be SHUT OFF. Even the house phone is on MUTE. Absolutely NO tech interruptions during dinner hour. We do the same thing every summer when we camp together as a family. No radio, no TV. Cell phones are carried only for Emergencies and are allowed on only at short designated times each day. I never wear a watch while camping because I need to live with nature. My family now enjoy the peace this brings to their lives so much so that they often plan their own "no tech" times with their own families. It is a simpler way of stress-free living!

By Sharon McBride on 10/16/2009 8:48 am

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I read this while I was on my way to the office this morning while drinking my coffee and trying to change to a different playlist on my iPhone. I’m sorry, what was the question again?

By Sarah Burris on 10/19/2009 10:47 pm