The Distracted Mind
Adam Gazzaley et al.
5 mins
3 key insights
Visual, audio & text
In The Distracted Mind, two professors of neuroscience and psychology explain how we're so easily distracted, why it's not our fault, and what we can do about it.
The Distracted Mind
The Distracted Mind
by Adam Gazzaley et al.
Overview
Just like the humans who develop it, technology evolves in response to what seems to work best. If constant distraction equals more phones sold or apps downloaded, that's what they will evolve to provide. But what makes us so vulnerable to distraction in the first place?
Adam Gazzaley is a Professor of Neuroscience at UCSF, while Larry Rosen is Emeritus Professor of Psychology at CSU. As suggested by the subtitle, Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World, the authors explain why our brains evolved to be prone to distraction, and how our evolution has not kept up with the rapid changes in our environment.
The Distracted Mind is full of fascinating and useful detail about the science behind our mental behavior and our relationship with modern technology. Once we understand the ancestral drives behind our modern behaviors, we can control them rather than letting them control us.
Favorite quote
Do not allow the pervasive use of the word in our vernacular to fool you into thinking that 'attention' is a straightforward concept.
- Adam Gazzaley, Larry Rosen
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