All posts tagged: Attention

Why People Are Actually So Anxious About Attention

Why People Are Actually So Anxious About Attention

Published by Daniella Wilson

Last year, I took a drastic step to protect my attention: I cut off my home internet service. I already refuse to get a smartphone and have long paid for an app to block internet access on my laptop when I need to be productive. Yet I was still wasting too many late-night hours scrolling X, or watching CGI reenactments of plane crashes and VHS rips of old Letterman episodes. Even resisting took an effort that I resented; the internet, I became convinced, was making me stupid, and I had no one to blame but myself. Attention, these days, is something that many Americans seem to regard as an inherent virtue whose purity they can try to protect or allow to be despoiled. A diminished attention span is a sign of personal weakness, or even intellectual debasement. On social media, people talk of having “German-shepherd attention spans” and liken their condition to “brain damage.” To reduce one’s attention span, so the logic implies, is to reduce one’s humanity. But this might be an outdated way …

Genetic data reveals how brain structure contributes to autism and attention disorders

Genetic data reveals how brain structure contributes to autism and attention disorders

Published by José Betancourt

Differences in the physical shape and wiring of the brain can directly contribute to the development of attention and social disorders. A recent genetics study mapped how the size of specific brain folds and the organization of brain wiring alter the risk of developing autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The findings were published in the journal Progress in Neuropsychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry. Autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are developmental conditions that can persist throughout a person’s life. They affect how individuals process information, regulate their attention spans, and engage in social interactions. People dealing with these neurological differences often face elevated emotional burdens and adverse health outcomes compared to their peers. Medical professionals have utilized brain scans to study these populations for decades. Those imaging tests frequently show that neurodivergent individuals have slightly different brain structures compared to typically developing people. However, simple observational brain scans cannot tell investigators which event happened first. A difference in brain structure might cause the condition, or living with the condition might slowly shape the …

Scientists link daytime sleep-like brain waves to attention lapses in ADHD

Scientists link daytime sleep-like brain waves to attention lapses in ADHD

Published by José Betancourt

Scientists have discovered that brief patterns of brain activity usually seen during deep sleep frequently intrude into the waking hours of adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This phenomenon tends to explain why individuals with the condition experience frequent lapses in attention and excessive daytime sleepiness. The findings, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, provide evidence that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder might be deeply connected to how the brain regulates the boundary between sleep and wakefulness. Adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder frequently face challenges with sustained focus, behavioral variability, and impulsivity. They also tend to report higher rates of sleep disturbances and daytime tiredness than the general population. This combination of symptoms led researchers to wonder if there might be a physical overlap between sleep and attention systems in the brain. “My interest grew out of our earlier work which looked at how medications like methylphenidate (MPH; commonly known as Ritalin) affect slow waves during wakefulness in neurotypical individuals,” explained Elaine Pinggal, a research fellow at Monash University. “What intrigued me was how MPH …

Women Who Value Peace More Than Attention Usually Say 11 Phrases When They’re Talking To You

Women Who Value Peace More Than Attention Usually Say 11 Phrases When They’re Talking To You

Published by Jenni Sidey

While many women are socialized to be agreeable and to place others’ attention above their own peace and well-being, things are shifting. More empowering social norms around self-care are changing the way women show up for themselves. Even if it sometimes feels uncomfortable, women who value their peace more than attention use certain phrases to make sure it’s clear that they live by their own standards. These women are no longer willing to shrink themselves in order to make men feel bigger, choosing instead to put their own needs first. Women who value peace more than attention usually say 11 phrases when they’re talking to you 1. ‘No, thanks’ VesnaArt | Shutterstock.com Instead of draining their energy levels by saying yes to social plans they don’t have the bandwidth for or being pressured into tolerating misbehavior, women who value their peace start saying “no, thanks” more often. While it can occasionally be uncomfortable, for the most part, they’d prefer to put their needs first than worry about being liked by people who don’t care about …

Column: Pay attention to the deficit, even if Trump won’t

Column: Pay attention to the deficit, even if Trump won’t

Published by Sam Flores

Americans could be forgiven if they’re unaware that President Trump recently performed one of his most essential tasks and sent his annual budget request to Congress, though months late and stunningly incomplete. After all, so much else has been dominating the news lately: the Mideast war that Trump promised not to start. Price rises he’d vowed to end. His repeated insults of Pope Leo XIV. His portraying himself as Jesus Christ, then lying about having done so. An incompetent attorney general to fire. And the president’s actual priorities — plans for a $400-million White House ballroom and a massive “Triumphal Arch” nearby! It’s a lot. Once again, as in Trump’s first term, the public and press are inattentive to the nation’s fiscal health relative to past years. But that reflects the president’s own disengagement with reconciling spending and revenue — this from a president many Americans voted for based on his purported prowess as a businessman. For decades back to Ronald Reagan’s time, so-called deficit wars in Washington were a big story. Now, even Republicans …

Republican lawmakers lead the trend of using insults to chase media attention instead of policy wins

Republican lawmakers lead the trend of using insults to chase media attention instead of policy wins

Published by José Betancourt

A recent study published in PNAS Nexus provides evidence that politicians who frequently use personal insults gain massive media attention but fail to achieve better legislative or electoral success than their more policy-focused peers. This suggests a shift in political strategy where some lawmakers prioritize national visibility and celebrity status over traditional lawmaking duties. These findings highlight a growing trend in American politics where the pursuit of media spotlight sustains a toxic form of public discourse. Surveys consistently indicate that American voters dislike political incivility and prefer lawmakers to focus on substantive policy debates. Despite this clear public preference, hostile rhetoric involving name-calling and character attacks appears to be rising in American politics. “Wherever we look—in the news media, social media, even floor debate in Congress—it seems that at least some politicians have become much more insulting in what they say,” said study author Marc S. Jacob, an assistant professor at the University of Notre Dame. “These personal attacks have nothing to do with substantive policy debate and undermine substantive discussions that we need to …

Artemis II splashdown captures nationwide attention : NPR

Artemis II splashdown captures nationwide attention : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

NASA astronaut Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, left, and NASA astronaut Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist are seen sitting on a Navy MH-60 Seahawk from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 23 on the flight deck of USS John P. Murtha. Bill Ingalls/NASA hide caption toggle caption Bill Ingalls/NASA The Artemis II crew made their return to Earth on Friday following the Orion spacecraft’s historic 10-day trip around the Moon, capturing the attention of awestruck fans nationwide. In stadiums across the country, Jumbotrons projected the team’s successful splashdown into the Pacific Ocean near San Diego, Calif. NASA’s Orion spacecraft with Artemis II crewmembers NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, commander; Victor Glover, pilot; Christina Koch, mission specialist; and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, mission specialist aboard is seen as it lands in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, Friday, April 10, 2026. Bill Ingalls/NASA hide caption toggle caption Bill Ingalls/NASA Viewers watched in open amazement as the capsule, crewed by commander Reid Wiseman, mission specialist Christina Koch, pilot Victor Glover, and Canadian Space …

The Artemis II Moonshot Deserves Your Awe, and Your Closer Attention, Too

The Artemis II Moonshot Deserves Your Awe, and Your Closer Attention, Too

Published by skeptic

Travel to space has become commonplace. In the past three decades, nearly 300 people have flown to and from the International Space Station, some of them residing there for months at a time. In the past several years, the rocket startup Blue Origin has launched a series of day trips just over the threshold into space — high-end carnival rides for celebrities including Katy Perry, Gayle King and William Shatner. The Artemis II lunar mission is different. NASA’s spaceflight, which lifted off Wednesday evening, is carrying four astronauts round-trip all the way to the moon — roughly 250,000 miles from earth, it’s a thousand times farther away than the space station — and they’ll have to break free from Earth’s gravity to do so. It’s a trip that only two dozen humans have ever taken, and the last time it happened was in 1972. Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft will also take its four astronauts farther than any humans have ever traveled into space, on a long arc reaching 4,700 miles beyond the far side of …

Depression in early adolescence is linked to attention problems that worsen over time

Depression in early adolescence is linked to attention problems that worsen over time

Published by José Betancourt

A new study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders provides evidence that while depression in early adolescence is linked to various cognitive difficulties at first, most of these issues do not persist as teens grow older. The exception is inattention, which tends to fuel a two-way relationship where poor attention worsens depression and vice versa. These findings suggest that addressing attention problems in school could be an effective way to help adolescents struggling with their mental health. Depression is a major mental health concern that affects roughly eight percent of adolescents worldwide. As young people move through middle and high school, depression can negatively impact their relationships, physical health, and academic performance. Scientists recognize that depression in adults often comes with cognitive impairment, meaning difficulties with thinking, remembering, and concentrating. When looking at adolescents, previous studies have provided mixed results regarding whether depression causes similar cognitive problems. Most prior research on young people has been cross-sectional. A cross-sectional study looks at a single moment in time. Because of this design, past research could not …

Seafarers trapped in the Gulf are suffering — it’s time we paid attention – POLITICO

Seafarers trapped in the Gulf are suffering — it’s time we paid attention – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

And that’s not all. Some of the stranded ships are now starting to run out of food and other necessities. “It’s not as easy as people think to get resources to the ships,” explained Hutchinson. “And now we’re beginning to see pressure on supplies getting to the ships. The firms that deliver the supplies are local. Fuel is up from $700 per ton to over $2,000, and these firms have to secure the supplies in the first place, which isn’t easy when the Strait of Hormuz is closed. And in a situation like this, delivering the supplies to the trapped ships requires a lot of time and resources too.” These ships are also carrying all manner of cargo — oil, gas and fertilizer, of course, but also perishable commodities and, most likely, even livestock. Imagine sitting on top of cargo that could explode at any moment — or die. “Some will be able to leave, but for the ones with U.S. and Israeli affiliation, there’s no way out,” Hutchinson noted. And Europe-linked ships may remain …