Modern Wisdom

#418 - Johann Hari - Why You Can't Pay Attention And Focus

Jan 6, 2022

Johann Hari, a celebrated writer and journalist, discusses the pressing attention crisis we face today. He explores how technology, social media, and even our diets complicate our ability to focus. Discover the surprising link between sleep deprivation and cognitive decline, and learn personal and collective strategies to reclaim your attention. Hari shares insights from his own tech detox journey and challenges listeners to rethink their relationship with digital distractions, advocating for healthier societal practices to enhance focus.

01:53:05

Creator website

Episode guests

Johann Hari

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

How Can We Get Floe States?

01:25

The Balance Between Personal Responsibility and Systemic Change

03:07

What Is Attention and How Does It Work?

04:09

What's the Message in a Book?

00:41

Intro

2min

The Modern Attention Crisis: Understanding Focus Decline

3min

Disconnecting in a Digitally Driven World

22min

Reclaiming Attention: Personal and Collective Strategies Against Distraction

6min

Balancing Personal Agency and Systemic Challenges

12min

Navigating Attention and Well-Being

19min

Sleep, Attention, and Modern Challenges

16min

The Attention Crisis: Social Media's Influence

21min

Combatting Distractions in a Digital Age

12min

10.

Exploring Attention and Focus in the Digital Age

2min

Johann Hari is a writer & a journalist.

You probably struggle to focus on the task you're doing. You probably wish that you could pay attention for longer and that you were less easily distracted. Why is this such a common problem? Is this a byproduct of the modern era? Technology? Social Media? Johann has travelled the world trying to work out what is going on.

Expect to learn how your attention system works, whether attention loss is reversible, whether modern life is going to further decrease our productivity, the relationship between sleep and focus, what impact stress and diet has, whether phone addiction is to blame, the single biggest influence Johann found which no one is talking about, the strategies which help to regain focus and much more...

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