Lesson: Popcorn Brain

Several factors contribute to decreasing attention spans in today’s society. The widespread use of digital devices, information overload, and social media have all led to a culture of instant gratification and quick content consumption. We have become accustomed to rapidly switching between different sources of information, resulting in shorter periods of focused attention. This has led to popcorn brain, a psychological condition where you can’t keep your attention focused on anything for a long duration. Also, the rise of multitasking negatively affects our ability to concentrate for extended periods. Many people try to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, dividing their attention among various activities, leading to cognitive overload and difficulty maintaining sustained concentration. Quick fact: nobody multitasks. They switch rapidly from one task to another but only do two simultaneously if one, such as breathing, is automatic. All these factors result in our attention spans being more fragmented, and the ability to engage deeply with one thing at a time has decreased.