Yes, it’s official: you and I now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish! (I am not making this up!) Average attention spans have shrunk to a mere 8 seconds, down from 12 seconds in 2000.
When our kids were young, our family had several goldfish, each “won” at a succession of grade school carnivals. We’d bring them home in small baggies of water, pour them into a fish bowl, and watch them a few weeks until they expired, usually because we forgot to feed them. The high point was always the first day when the winning child named his or her fish—after the naming, interest tended to quickly deteriorate.
None of our goldfish appeared especially thoughtful. Most just hovered, staring out with a vacant look. I’ve seen that look. I see it as I walk through a restaurant and observe couples or whole families not conversing, each just staring at their phones. I see it as I watch the woman in front of me on the commuter train flip through her phone…1,2,3,4 swipe; 1,2,3,4 swipe. By my count, no item gets even 8 seconds of attention.
This news came last year from Microsoft, who determined the 8-second attention span after studying Canadian media consumption. (Yes, there are any number of Canadian jokes lurking, but I must move on.) Attention span was defined as “the amount of concentrated time on a task without becoming distracted.” Satya Nadella, the chief executive officer of Microsoft, makes an excellent point: “The true scarce commodity of the near future will be human attention.”
Here’s the serious point behind the goldfish: can anyone possibly absorb information that might challenge—or even in the smallest way call into question—any belief in 8 seconds? No wonder Donald Trump succeeds in shaping opinion so easily with his Twitter barrages. He hits the sweet spot of American capacity to focus on anything.
Dr. Scott Peck, author of the The Road Less Travelled, the book on the New York Times best seller list longer than any other, compares our worldview to a map that we follow through life and defines human maturity as constantly revising our maps until we die. Our worldview expands to embrace more of reality as we receive and process new information. Without worldview growth, we are destined to repeat the same mistakes and harbor the same prejudices. Even worse, we will continue to see what we want or expect to see, rather than the more complex reality actually there.
- It takes Republicans thinking to themselves: “Well, I’ve always thought climate change was just a liberal hoax, but I can’t deny that the dramatic shrinking of the polar ice caps I just read about makes me wonder.”
- It takes Democrats thinking to themselves: “Well, I’ve always thought Trump voters were all rural rednecks, but I can’t deny when I read some of their personal stories that if I was in their situation, I might feel the same distrust of government and look for change.”
So, what can we do?
We’ll each have our own answers, but here’s how I’ve made a start: I’m reading the 1,000 page third volume of The Last Lion, William Manchester’s magisterial biography of Winston Churchill. I’m taking a class at our local library about how to produce my own podcasts for my website. At a dinner gathering with Korean friends just last night, I decided I was ready to try sushi for the first time…and liked it! (I went back for more three times.)
Choose today to expand your attention span and challenge your worldview. Going through life with a goldfish stare is not your destiny.
Question: What are you doing (or what might you do) to expand your attention span and challenge your worldview? Please share it in a comment.
