How To Improve Your Attention Span Quickly By Up to 50%

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How To Improve Your

Attention Span Quickly By Up To 50%

According to a 2015 study completed by Microsoft, the average attention span for humans is 8 seconds.

The average attention span for a goldish is… 9 seconds!

That’s not great news for us humanoids.

But fortunately, there are ways to help us lock-in and improve attention relatively quickly.

So, if you feel you could benefit from a quick increase in attention and focus, this study should prove quite interesting.

Kuo et al. (2018), in the journal, Frontiers in Psychology, found that simply learning outside in nature can double your attention span.

For the study, teachers held classes indoors and outdoors. Attention was determined by how often teachers had to tell children to sit down and refocus.

Results showed that the outdoor group showed 50% better attention when compared to the indoor group.

Wonder if this will work for adults? Or skeptical that this is a one-time result?

There are numerous studies with adults that have found that parks, trees, and wildlife can all improve attention.

Takeaway Message

If you need to focus, get in nature. We’re lucky to live in an area where it is abundant and quick to access.

If you don’t have enough time to get deep into nature, head to the nearest park.

Or even take a few moments to look out your window and stare at nature (i.e., trees, grass, birds, water). Although it is not quite as effective as being in nature, merely looking at it can help to improve attention and focus.

3 Quick Tips to Improve Attention

As mentioned at the start of this article, the average human attention span in the year 2015 was only 8 seconds. In the year 2000, our average attention span was 12 seconds.

That’s a 4-second drop in just 15 years.

Unfortunately, this appears to be a side effect of all the content we can immediately access through all of the technological devices that have permeated our lives.

And given that technology is here to stay, let’s take a look at 3 strategies (2 short-term and 1 long-term) to help improve attention and focus.

1. Sugar and Caffeine Work

Well, this may not be the healthiest strategy nor one you’d want to rely on day-in and day-out, but if you need help with your attention and focus fast, it works!

Serra-Grabulosa et al. (2010) found that sugary drinks (75 milligrams) combined with caffeine (75 milligrams) help to make the brain more efficient, which leads to improvements in memory and attention.

Simply put, with caffeine and sugar, the brain doesn’t have to work as hard to complete the same task.

2. Prioritize Exercise

I’d be surprised if there is something exercise doesn’t benefit.

And no surprise, when it comes to attention, exercise helps.

But does it matter what kind of exercise you do if you want an immediate boost in cognitive performance?

Previous studies have shown that regular exercise can help to boost attention.

But for immediate improvement in attention, Samani et al. (2017) found that moderate to vigorous physical activity (measured by exercising on a stationary bike) resulted in a 14 % improvement in cognitive performance.

Very impressive!

So, if you need an immediate improvement in attention and focus to complete a particular task, it’s a great idea to get active first.

However, if you are unable to exercise beforehand, studies show that exercising at any time helps to provide an overall boost to attention and focus.

So, to continue with our weight loss example, in the beginning, when you set your specific weight loss goal, and towards the end, when you are only a few pounds away from your goal, it would be the best time to focus on your overall goal.

3. Learn An Instument

Clearly, this is a long-term strategy and, admittedly, quite the commitment to improve attention.

But, if you are currently learning a musical instrument or are on the fence about learning one, there are 2 notable benefits for attention.

In a recent study, Medina and Barazza (2019) found that musicians have better attention and become less distracted, based on brain imaging scans.

However, these gains won’t necessarily come quickly. The participants used in the study were pianists, with an average of 12 years of musical training.

So, for you folks who are committed to being musical, here are two great reasons to carry on making sweet sounds.

Do you or a loved one struggle with attention?

What do you do to improve attention and focus?

Please let me know in the comments section below.

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Article by

Trevor Sullivan, MA, RP

Registered Psychotherapist

September 28, 2020