Making Sense with Sam Harris - Subscriber Content

#380 - The Roots of Attention

48 snips

Aug 23, 2024

Amishi Jha, a leading researcher in attention and mindfulness, discusses how our brains handle focus in an increasingly distracting world. They explore the failures of brain-training games and the neurological benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Amishi emphasizes the significance of attention in emotional regulation and the impact of smartphones on our cognitive capacities. Through rich insights, they reveal how mindfulness can transform our relationship with thoughts, enhance present-moment awareness, and foster emotional resilience.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Personal Journey to Mindfulness

Amishi Jha realized her own attention deficit while reading to her toddler.
This personal experience prompted her research into mindfulness and attention training.

INSIGHT

Attention's Power and Components

Attention is the brain's "boss", influencing information processing.
It comprises selective focus, alertness to the present moment, and goal-directed control.

INSIGHT

Mindfulness: An Inherent Capacity

Mindfulness is an intrinsic mental capacity, not solely achieved through meditation.
It involves purposeful, non-elaborative, and non-reactive attention to present moment experience.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/380-the-roots-of-attention

Sam Harris speaks with Amishi Jha about attention and the brain. They discuss how attention is studied, the failure of brain-training games, the relationship between attention and awareness, mindfulness as an intrinsic mental capacity, the neurological implications of different types of meditation, the neural correlates of attention and distraction, the prospects of self-transcendence, the link between thought and emotion, the difference between dualistic and nondualistic mindfulness, studying nondual awareness in the lab, the influence of smartphones, the value of mind wandering, and other topics.

Dr. Amishi Jha, PhD, is a professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She serves as the Director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, which she cofounded in 2010. She received her PhD from the University of California, Davis, and did postdoctoral training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University. Her work has been featured at NATO, the World Economic Forum, and the Pentagon, and she’s been covered in The New York Times, NPR, Time magazine, and Forbes. With grants from the Department of Defense and several private foundations, she leads research on the neural bases of attention and the effects of mindfulness-based training programs on cognition, emotion, resilience, and performance. Dr. Jha’s national bestseller, Peak Mind, describes her work with a variety of high-demand groups, from special forces, elite athletes, and first responders, to teachers, business and medical professionals, and students. Her forthcoming app, Pushups for the Mind, will be available to U.S. military service members in the fall of 2024, and for public release in early 2025.

Website: https://amishi.com/

Twitter: @amishijha

Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.