Stolen Focus

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Our ability to pay attention is collapsing. Johann Hari, the New York Times bestselling author, explores the reasons behind this crisis and how to reclaim our focus. Like many, Hari struggled with concentration amidst constant device switching, leading him to embark on a global journey to interview experts and study scientific findings. He discovered that our understanding of this issue is fundamentally flawed. In the U.S., teenagers focus on tasks for only sixty-five seconds, while office workers manage just three minutes. This inability to concentrate is often seen as a personal failure, but the reality is more troubling: powerful external forces have stolen our focus, particularly with the rise of social media and corporate interests. These forces have intensified over decades, contributing to broader societal issues. In his compelling narrative, Hari takes readers from veterinarians diagnosing dogs with ADHD to Silicon Valley whistleblowers revealing social media's tactics to manipulate our attention. He also examines a favela in Rio where attention loss became acute and a New Zealand office that found effective techniques to restore focus. By identifying twelve true causes of this crisis—including the decline of sustained reading and increased pollution—Hari argues that we can initiate an "attention rebellion" to reclaim our focus, both individually and collectively.