In recent years, a significant amount of time and research has been devoted to the subject of human attention. Spurred on by motives both capitalistic—exemplified by online commercial clickbait—and nefarious—exemplified by partisan and ideological propaganda—scientists specializing in disciplines like neuroscience, linguistics, and cultural anthropology have labored intensely, conducting vast amounts of research about what captures our imaginations and holds our interest. These findings are then generally used by companies, organizations, or agencies to influence the public and persuade us to spend our money in ways we otherwise wouldn’t, or to shape our thinking about certain issues. This is widely known.
However, what might not be as widely known is that there is a small but honorable contingent of scientists studying human attention for investigative and altruistic purposes. Their findings have been disheartening, to say the least.
According to an interview published by the American Psychological Association with Dr. Gloria Mark, a professor at the University of California, Irvine who holds a PhD in the field of informatics, the average continuous attention span on digital screens has dropped from roughly two and a half minutes in 2004 to just under 50 seconds today – a concerning trend likely linked to task-switching and stress. Meanwhile, a 2023 paper published by Francesco Chiossi et al. indicates that short-form video feeds, such as those found on the popular social media platform TikTok, may impair a user’s ability to remember and act on their intentions due to rapid context-switching.
All of this amounts to a fatigued populace with increasingly fragmented attention spans, which is not a healthy direction for the human race to be heading in. It’s a daunting and ubiquitous problem and one that’s accelerating rather than receding. So, what can be done? How can we, as individuals and as a society, begin to protect, restore, and respect the finite resource that is human attention?
The prevailing wisdom dictates that we should look to governments, regulatory bodies, and even big tech companies for a solution. But there are significant problems with placing all our chips on this as a strategy. For one, there is the plodding, often compromised pace of governments in general and regulatory agencies in particular. Furthermore, there is the incentive to maximize profits that drives many tech giants to actively exacerbate this problem. Putting it another way, governments are too slow and corrupt to take action quickly, and the companies best positioned to help are also those most deeply invested in keeping us actively distracted.
Michael Amin, a California-based businessman and philanthropist whose nonprofit entity, the Maximum Difference Foundation (MDF), has devoted considerable time to studying this particular issue, offers another perspective. Amin believes that personal responsibility and mindful, purposeful re-training of the individual mind is the key to regaining our collective clarity and mental control.
“Though it’s actually an organ, the human brain is, in many ways, like a muscle. It needs training and exercise in order to be in top shape. That means reading books that illuminate and provoke profound thought, and watching informative videos rather than ones designed purely to entertain,” says Amin, who launched MDF in 2001 to effect positive change through applying private sector return-on-investment principles to the charitable sphere. “Repeated overstimulation of the mind with the wrong sorts of materials causes rising confusion, ultimately leading to an overall decline in attention and cognition. But with the right habits, we can get that focus back. It just takes discipline.”
As to what precisely those right habits are, Michael Amin is definite in his response. “It’s all about intentionality. Each of us has to make a conscious decision to improve the focus of our attention. We have to go about it with purpose, seeking out informative and educational sources with which to occupy ourselves and fill our minds.”
There is some impressive scientific research backing up Amin’s view. For example, a 2022 study co-authored by psychologists from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Santa Barbara that monitored high schoolers using a specially devised digital attention‑training program showed improved focus and less mind‑wandering in class. Indeed, students also reported better emotional control after the program. Meanwhile, a landmark 2024 study in PLOS Biology demonstrated how selective attention enhances memory by transforming working and long-term representations in the human parietal cortex, proving that focused practice can teach the brain to filter distractions more effectively.
Together, these findings affirm that with deliberate effort and consistent mental exercise, individuals can strengthen their “attention muscles” over time.
At the Maximum Difference Foundation, Michael Amin and his team continue to explore all facets of this matter. In doing so, they employ a unique approach to assessing their efforts: a concept they refer to as “units of positive change.” This guiding philosophy challenges them to pursue the greatest possible positive impact with the fewest possible resources. In addition to conducting their own research, MDF also encourages self-driven transformation. The foundation advocates for parents to improve themselves through their own volition by reading articles, watching educational videos, attending educational events, or seeking professional support when needed, such as a therapist.
Far from being a one-issue organization, MDF partners with a diverse array of charitable and nonprofit organizations, including Doctors Without Borders, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society—all in an effort to bring about its central vision of implementing meaningful, far-reaching, and positive change.
Reflecting on the challenges posed by our age, debatably the most distracted in human history, Michael Amin offers a reminder that is as practical as it is profound: “Maintaining clear focus is a choice and, like any choice, it becomes easier the more often we make it with intention.” In a world flooded with pop-up ads, quick-cut videos, and shrewd social media messaging campaigns generated by untrustworthy parties, reclaiming our attention may be one of the most courageous and consequential acts we can undertake, both as individuals and as a larger society.
In doing so, the first step is clear: to decide what truly deserves our focus and to pursue it with purpose.
Leave a Reply