Shrinking attentions spans – Less than a goldfish

Long back, we achieved the dubious distinction of having lower attention spans (7-8 seconds) than that of a goldfish (9 seconds). The poor goldfish attracted some unwanted publicity here.

Attention spans are important for students and communicators. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is only one of the many problems we face today.

Commercially, content creators need to adapt to the changing patterns by analyzing data.

CONTENT CONSUMPTION

Does this mean that most of our content which takes longer than a few seconds to read or view is wasted? Stats on YouTube and Instagram Reels often show that people do not bother to watch the full video. No wonder, every platform has come out with capsule versions like YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Stories, TikTok or something similar. E-learning sites have adopted M-learning or mobile learning, and the rule is that the maximum length of videos should be 3-4 minutes.

The best that a content creator can do is to induce the reader to read the full post or watch the full video by capturing attention in the first 30 seconds.

There is another practice of leaving a line gap between short paragraphs. Technically, it gives the web crawlers space to get in between for SEO optimization. IMO, it also reduces the psychological burden of reading a long piece.

DO WE USE ONLY 10% OF OUR BRAIN CAPACITY?

The notion that humans use only 10 percent of their brain capacity is a widely circulated myth. In reality, research has debunked this idea, revealing that most of our brain is almost always active. Let’s explore the facts.

Brain Activity:

• The brain is a complex organ composed of approximately 100 billion neurons that carry information.
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), a brain imaging technique, shows that most of our brain is in use most of the time, even during simple actions or when resting.
• Brain activity varies from person to person and depends on the task or thoughts at hand.

Origin of the Myth:

The 10 percent myth lacks a clear origin, but several sources contributed to its popularity.

• Psychologist William James, in a 1907 article, suggested that humans use only part of their mental resources, without specifying a percentage.
• Dale Carnegie’s 1936 book How to Win Friends and Influence People referenced the myth as something his college professor used to say.
• Scientists’ belief that neurons constitute around 10 percent of brain cells may have contributed to the myth.

Debunking the Myth:

Studies have consistently shown that humans use more than 10 percent of their brain capacity.

The brain consumes about 20 percent of the body’s energy, which wouldn’t make sense if only a small portion were active.

Our large brains (about 1,400 cubic centimeters) wouldn’t have evolved if we used only a fraction of them¹².

Improving Brain Function:

Lifestyle, diet, and exercise impact brain health.

Balanced nutrition, including foods rich in omega fatty acids and antioxidants (like nuts), benefits brain health.

FUTURE OF COGNITIVE SKILLS

We have already lost computing capacity with the use of calculators.

Since content creators structure pieces to suit the needs of the consumer, the capacity to understand and analyze something unfamiliar or challenging, and the willingness to make an extra effort will gradually decrease.

Google is introducing a “Help me write” feature on all platforms including email. We already have templates for replies. The next skill on the block to disappear is writing skill.

Sadly, it may also take away some of our thinking skills. Writing induces one to structure your thoughts in an orderly manner.

At the same time, the capacity to decode abbreviations, emojis and absorb the gist of a content piece is increasing.

It is tough to say who will rule the world – the creators, consumers or the ones who set trends by content distribution strategies.

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Friday Faithfuls