Are You Having Trouble Paying Attention? “Stolen Focus” Author Explains Why | Amanpour and Company

How long can you focus on a thought - or anything - without being interrupted by your flashing phone? With a powerful distraction inches away, many people find their ability to focus has dwindled to a matter of minutes, according to our next guest. New York Times bestselling author Johann Hari explores the importance of attention and how it has been “stolen” in his latest book. The author speaks with Hari Sreenivasan about what he has found.
Originally aired on January 3, 2023.
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Amanpour and Company features wide-ranging, in-depth conversations with global thought leaders and cultural influencers on the issues and trends impacting the world each day, from politics, business and technology to arts, science and sports. Christiane Amanpour leads the conversation on global and domestic news from London with contributions by prominent journalists Walter Isaacson, Michel Martin, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan from the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center in New York City.
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[@someguy2135]

Those of us who are old enough to remember a time before the internet can remember being able to lose yourself in a good book, for example.

[@JeffCaplan313]

We were all lost in that "good book" and now are found. 😉 ✌️

[@sophiesmith5922]

I would rather concentrate enough to write the next book.

[@yabits]

A very wise person said to me nearly 50 years ago: "Without concentration there is no joy."

[@freeman436]

Brilliant. I'm going to read this book. Right after I finish reading the other four I'm currently juggling.

[@direwolf6234]

men are not wired for multi-tasking .. single focus hunters .. women juggle kids fire food..

[@fairytale143]

Are we the same person? 😂

[@aliseamcleod1]

Good point. Overlord all around, not just tech.

[@luking2644]

Only four? 😂

[@terrybirch4324]

Mr. Sreenivasan is such an excellent interviewer.

[@davidhollingsworth1847]

He is.

[@juliarichter6987]

I guess being tired may not be that bad for the performance of an interviewer.

[@philnasmith9755]

Experienced interviewer; charming and knowledgeable interviewee; crucial information - thank you 🙏

[@dsddala467]

I have ADHD (Combined type) moderately to severely, and I have a hard time with focusing most of the time. But I hate phones, I leave mine buried in my purse when I am at home, I leave it in the kitchen. I never take it to bed or even my bedroom.. Here's a tip: Don't put social media on it, don't put email on it. Ask friends to call you, instead of texting. Calling takes more initiative and takes more time than a text. When you ask people to do this, they are a little pickier about what they are willing to take the time to stop and call and share. All of this reduces distraction. Try it. And, thank you to this author for confirming what I have been saying for more than a decade. Reading complex things is much harder for me on a screen. I thought it was my ADHD, but perhaps it's just the zigzag reading. Or maybe it's both.

[@kathryncainmadsen5850]

Ditto and Amen

[@sophiesmith5922]

Yup. For me its the backlight, my poor bad eyes. But also, like listening to YT and seeing and reading messages takes away from your ability to focus on the video.

[@vanleeuwenhoek]

Neuro-hypochondriasis.

[@lshwadchuck5643]

Ordered the hardcover book. This is important! I've spent the whole pandemic learning to play piano in a state of flow. But I've also spent more and more time scrolling through KZbin. Big change NOW.

[@InterestedCitizen]

I absolutely do not sleep well. There are many reasons but watching the news is a main one. The cell phone has enslaved me!

[@kathya1321]

Absolutely loved this interview. So relevant and in some aspect reassuring to understand what’s really happening & that we can fix this. Thanks to the two Hari’s!❤❤❤

[@Honkytonkified]

I agree and bought Johan’s audiobook. The 1st thing picked up was Hari’s compassion. His heartbreaking efforts to pull his nephew out of social media abyss. Then he slam dunks the topic with tease arch and solutions. Every cellphone should be sold with his “safety manual” of a book.

[@TeresaElainePhoenixArizona]

No Problem. I Take my ADDerall Daily. Really.

[@kathya1321]

@@Honkytonkified I am buying the book too.👍🏼

[@M-T-123]

We need more awareness of this issue at the school board level

[@thestraightroad305]

That’s for sure!

[@-Stop-it]

Who else is listening to these Hari while reading the comments?

[@Iquey]

During this interview an image came into my mind: If you've ever used a garden hose with multiple modes, such as a single jet, vs. a fan stream through many holes, I imagine our attention is a lot like the water flowing through the hose. It's always the set amount of water at any given single point in time, which can increase or decrease depending on how much energy and calm you start out with in a day/what you've eaten/how you've slept. You can only water one bed of flowers, shrubs or vegetables at a time, but when we multitask or try to, you end up acting like a sprinkler, turning the hose on the mist-stream setting, and you're waving your arms all around, back and forwards between the plants, giving them all less water overall, but feel like you just sprayed a ton of water regardless. Your plants may still be thirsty, but you yourself are somehow drenched all over with stray drops of water.

[@neekerbreeker]

Good analogy! Thank you.

[@daoistdansah54]

Bravo, Bro. Hari. Thank you for this interview. And yes, watched uninterrupted from start to finish.

[@emmahardesty4330]

We all know this is ever so true. There was actual life, friendships, learning, sharing before social media. Let's disengage frequently.

[@InterestedCitizen]

Excellent show. A few years ago I read his book called The Scream re: addictions and the fabulous Portugal model. I agree totally that our attention is being massively interrupted.

[@WillN2Go1]

Audiobooks. I'm a bit of an expert here. (Thousands.... over 35 years.) Initially I had a hard time really listening to an audiobook. I had to learn to better monitor my listening, and to never hesitate to go back and listen again. Some books I can listen to while I drive around the city, others only when I'm on a long distance drive, and the deeper more analytical books only when that is my primary focus. But I had to also learn how to monitor my reading text (books), but this happened much earlier in my life. I think we've all experienced the drifting of attention while we read. We get to the bottom of a page and realize, we've scanned every line, but we hadn't been paying attention. So it's not the source of the 'book' it's the skill in taking in the information that's important. The discussion here of whether an audiobook or text is 'better' assumes we are, to some degree, passive in the process. Don't forget once Seneca had enough money he had a slave read to him. That 2000 years later we know who he is is a strong indication of his ability to focus. There's also a huge difference between reading a hastily written article on a monitor and a book that's been researched, put through multiple drafts and then carefully edited by someone else. (The 'long read' ?? Seriously? We mostly just want to know what happened, but first we're expected to learn what high school the cop attended, how long his marriage has lasted, how many children he has, and what he had for breakfast the morning he happened to pull the guy over on the interstate and discover the open warrants... That's a definite zigzag - if I bother. Also our monitoring what we are doing is in itself a multi-task. I won't argue that we can simultaneously do multiple things chosen not by us. I find that I sometimes have to switch audiobooks to integrate with whatever else I am doing, or turn it off. Critical to reading is monitoring, and critical to monitoring is knowing to monitor and how to best do it. (I listened to half of this video before I paused it and wrote this. Druing that 9 minutes, I made coffee, put my clothes in the dryer and ate a bit of breakfast while listening. And next week I might not remember it, but remind me and I'll tell you why it wasn't memorable. I also feel confident that I could explain, and cite examples, why 9 minutes and 2/3rds focus was enough. And 99% of the people who've bothered to glance at the Comments might noticed how long this was and skip it. If I wasn't interested enough while I wrote it then I'd have stopped and deleted it. If anyone else reads it, I hope I haven't wasted your time. But does it reflect an ability to focus? Some of Jane Austen's more subtle jokes are entirely based on her generation's ability to over focus. Look at the closing paragraphs of some of her chapters.

[@thestraightroad305]

What an interesting point about Austen! I will have to reopen some books!

[@LS-kg6my]

After only 10 minutes of writing a report I had to take a break to…. Watch THIS video!!!

[@robincrowflies]

Same. I really don't know how to stop. I think I need a job that doesn't involve computers, but I'm a systems librarian. 😞

[@neekerbreeker]

Fantastic! I used to be a rock star at focusing but I'm sure the internet and social media (much as I enjoy them) have been a big factor in my declining ability. I also think every employer in the world should watch this and stop expecting people to "multitask"! How I detest that word. Many thanks for this interview!

[@robincrowflies]

Wow. Thank you. I work on the computer/internet, and sometimes I feel like I'm an animal trapped in a zoo cage. I quit Facebook years ago because I found myself constantly opening it to scroll. Now I do the same damn thing with KZbin. This video is incredibly relevant to me, but I don't know what to do. Stop working on the computer/internet? Maybe it's time to open that bookstore...

[@isabelmolina5197]

Awesome interviewer! You let people talk! And than ask great questions congrats Mr Sreenivasan

[@revmark715]

I had to watch this twice because I was distracted by making and eating breakfast while it rolled out. Most important point is near the end of this interview when Hari uses the itching powder metaphore. Then the need to change our social enviroment, taking back our mind.

[@sandicampbell3252]

Excellent! And not just because the evidence of retaining more by reading a physical, paper book, article, etc. than digital told me I'm not imagining it!!

[@Iquey]

I think our brains need tactile feedback to commit stuff to memory better. We evolved in the trees as lemurs and apes, climbing from branch to branch. Then became gatherers, then farmers, picking fruit, and grains, and hunting fish and clams, bucket by bucket, hunting birds and mammals, bag by bag... So we turn pages to read , page to page, so I believe there is this jarring void left with reading by scrolling/sliding rather than grasping and turning pages. There's also a weird abstract lack of permanence in digital media that has a constant undercurrent of "it could disappear at any time." Whether the platform stops hosting the site, the blog, or a hard drive corrupts. But a book at least has to be picked up and pages burned or shredded or dissolved by water, to be destroyed. It's that tangible consequence that cements it in our brains I think. Makes it less dream-like, the way digital media can feel.

[@RyanRuark]

Step 1: Delete social media from your phone Step 2: Disable notifications on your phone for everything except phone calls. Check you messages when you want, not when the sender sent it Step 3: Turn off any screen you aren’t actively watching Step 4: Remove all screens from every room except the living room and the office. Step 5: Find a genre you enjoy reading and make reading it a habit.

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

😂 my phone calls are all requests for money. 💸💸💸

[@MrKansaitim]

Yep.

[@someguy2135]

Those of us who are old enough to remember a time before the internet can remember being able to lose yourself in a good book, for example.

[@camelshit446]

@@someguy2135 I I indeed feel fortunate for having lived in a time without internet, and for knowing the experience of loosing myself in good books.

[@sookwilson5926]

Important Turn off auto play on KZbin! It saves years of life! I don't have Tweeter, FB etc, so nothing to delete or turn off ☺️ I don't know a tv since 2009, I want documentaries, late night comedy on KZbin during lunch/ dinner break. I'm not missing anything ☺️ DW recently produced a documentary on how our brains works when multi tasking with MRI scan etc. Keyword search is DW+ multitasking

[@jennifers6435]

Just remembering my college days of memorizing 40 pages of Arabic for 8 hours in a stretch

[@Dogsnark]

I start watching this video and then noticed my coffee cup needed refilling, so l began to think about a good resting point in the video when I could refill my cup. I stopped the video and remembered that I needed to check my clothes washer and see if it was done. And I should brush my teeth, too. All the while I’m thinking this is the kind of divided attention the video was all about. I went about doing all the things I just mentioned and then I sat down and restarted the video. My cat jumped into my lap, I started sipping my fresh coffee and I thought about trying to focus on the video and how I should write something in the comments after it finished. I was a perfect example of mental distraction! It’s not just the effect of electronic media that’s distracting us. We live very distracted lives also because we surround ourselves with so much STUFF that wants our attention and we’re told we can take care of it all at once, if we learn to multitask. Even though, as Mr Hari restates, research shows that multitasking doesn’t really work. But I guess we’re not really convinced, because we keep trying to do it.

[@Allaiya.]

I definitely feel like my focus has decreased. It's kind of scary tbh.

[@kpuliatch]

Outstanding research Mr Hari . Thanks for showing us how to observe the choices and misadventures we participate in . Totally busted my myths of multitasking . Much gratitude . Great interview.

[@davidtbentley]

Love Johann, great work as always.

[@Mike-nt9sx]

I GOT this guy and his message. Long live Thought-Flow!

[@andreadaerice]

Excellent interview by Hari Sreenivasan. He always takes the perfect tone and approach, asking the questions that I'm thinking. This is the kind of quality content I subscribe for. Thank YOU!

[@kiskakuznetsova503]

LOL, I had to watch this at 1.25-1.5 speed just to consume it!

[@albussnape2]

This was excellent! Thank you both 👏

[@jonathankelly5997]

And now I'm distracted by a video about being distracted. 😆

[@brittanybuschell4744]

Thank you to everyone who worked on putting this piece together. Job well done!

[@choosewisely616]

Thank you Johann Hari! I knew I was not able to focus anymore, now I know why (and it’s not just age related), phew! 😅

[@lexyswope]

More and more we are required to use the internet for everyday living. Paying rent, paying bills, banking. I recently got a flip down message that (some algorithm?) was putting my rent app on deep sleep which could have aggravating consequences. It's like you can't rest. And you always have to be alert for phishing. Yep. And more and more contracts required on line. It's stressful not be 100% certain that it's all in place.

[@LydiaSings]

Loving life without social media!! I blocked every friend on Facebook and shut it down! The quality of my life improved immensely and immediately! I never used Twitter that much, but I shut down my Twitter account as soon as I heard Musk was going to buy it. I never had an Instagram account and never wanted a TikTok account because it’s owned by the Chinese. KZbin is the only social media account I maintain but I don’t post content.

[@gloriawong5173]

as i scroll down to read comments, and i comment, and i glance at the other youtube choices, and finish my breakfast... all together. yes, i totally recognized that i read hardcopy books with better focus and better interest versus reading or listening to books online. less tension with focus; tense when there's "stuffs" going on that i try to be aware of. yes, yes, i concur with this succinct focused talk!!!

[@katherinejones8022]

My floaters discourage reading!

[@aresmars2003]

I don't have a smart phone, but I do work on the computer all day, so I can be distracted. I can get into a flow state regularly. The problem isn't flow-state, but flow-state in things I SHOULD do rather than flow-state in things I want to do!

[@miserylitmedia1050]

Have you considered that might be because we have been conditioned to "live to work" vs "work to live"? Very few workplaces actually respect employee privacy, and more of them are brazen about bothering workers at home. I wouldn't be surprised if western office culture is part of the problem when it comes to allowing people space to actually pay attention to things that matter...

[@babsk4071]

I totally agree bout the Screen vs. Books

[@astrocatcity]

Wow! What a passionate and inspiring interview! and thank you so much for helping me understand why my brain feels literally sick when I’m sleep deprived.

[@___beyondhorizon4664]

When I get a new device, I immediately deleted TikTok, FB, games etc. I turned off all notifications, turned off KZbin Auto play, dislike clips which are irrelevant or for cooking channels, I even ✔️ not interested, do not recommend. I skimmed my KZbin instead of clicking it, no ads, and skip to the main point. It saves so much time!!!

[@TheStickofWar]

If anyone is curious it turns out based on the same Norwegian researched that a Kindle makes you significantly worse at retaining what you read like an iPad does. That a book probably is providing some sensory offload and feeling of progression a kindle cannot deliver (the pages building up on one side over the other)

[@miken1463]

I’m 50. I am able to live my life without the constant need to distract myself with my phone. I check emails / social media and KZbin for a chunk of time when I finally sit down after dinner. Then get lost in a book, movie, show or magazine. When I am out with friends or sitting down to dinner my phone is on the counter charging or in my pocket. Break up with your phone people. It’s your life.

[@lindafox1679]

Thank you! Much needed information

[@nancylaplaca]

Thank you so much for this very helpful and insightful interview - I will get your book Johann Hari. Great work Hari Srinavasanan as usual.

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

Fascinating! 📚📚📚

[@AleciaHBOP]

Thank you for this 👍🏾😍

[@nigel-Rollercam-channel]

I think this was a good video but just after I started watching it I received a text message and it took me on average 23 minutes to re focus on the video and at that point it was over.

[@mr59301]

Yes. Pay attention to paying attention.

[@lizannewhitlow1085]

This is soooooo true. 🙏🏻

[@StrangelJean]

I think flow is the same as hyperfocus in ADHD! our general attention span is pretty short but it’s a lot easier to slip into hyperfocus (only if the task is interesting enough tho)

[@spacecoyote6646]

Great speech. In fact, I am halfway through and feel I have heard enough.

[@corinnapetry65]

Excellent!

[@gracevalentine1666]

I taught high school English, 1996-2017, with a background in cognitive science. I got in trouble for it but I did lessons about attention that my students- mostly poor, really liked. Bad timing I guess.

[@jbf5117]

Jared Lanier has been saying this for years!

[@malikmarikar9135]

Brilliant 👌 Thanks Habibi

[@bluest1524]

I love this guy. His stuff is excellent.

[@Tina-di4lx]

Amazing interview I will be reading this book.

[@donaldbeaudoin9022]

There is increasingly only one prize in the commercial world, one thing that sales efforts fight over: your attention.

[@ronaldronald8819]

This is so interesting. A core societal influence. Gone get that book. ..., Sorry Have to go the phone just bleeped .

[@TheClearvoice]

Brilliant. The bit I watched anyway ....

[@chopincam-robertpark6857]

excellent

[@stefano2303]

A small tip: leave your mobile in another room when trying to focus. Or at least out of sight and reach (and silent, ofc). It works for me, at least

[@-7827]

amazing content

[@robyost6079]

The reasoning in many schools is that if students like doing something, then no one should prevent them from doing it. Hence, phones and laptops in the classroom.

[@stevechance150]

I got nine minutes in and couldn't pay attention to the video anymore. If anyone made it to the end, did he mention a pill to fix this?

[@lynns4426]

One thing he mentioned was a special case for your phone. It locks it away for a specific time.

[@katherinejones8022]

No, just self control & GET BACK INTO ATTENTION WHICH IS ESSENCE OF LIFE ITSELF!

[@Magnulus76]

I don't have this problem. I don't own a smartphone and I practice meditation and breathwork. Most of the garbage people put on smartphones robs you of your life.

[@ellisonpearson3387]

HARI LOOKS VERY UPSET HERE

[@bkinstler]

Never saw a guest on this show we’ll a book so hard

[@jimsykes6843]

Amen. (And I'm not even religious)

[@sedecim]

I knew this as an artist. I was always suspicious of those who think that they can multitask. I am not a phone person.

[@verreal]

You could have read the original book on Flow. Well, anyway I suggest thinking of the third point as 'somewhat challenging." Not too hard, not too easy. Aim for that sweet spot. That's more positive than looking at it as just at the edge of your competence, which is a bit anxiety-producing.

[@sylvaind9086]

Brilliant! Yes, it's time to take our minds back from Big Tech.👍

[@pavelsmith2267]

To help yourself move forward. Progress as is defined by technology. Take the time to consider the factor within yourself which you find most deeply imbued with the struggle of weakness. Find the time to acknowledge that pain. Then how to admit to being in pain; each and every time it occurs. If it does not occur in a daily basis,perhaps it should. Then memorize your reaction and immediately assume responsibility for your emotional actions. Then ask of yourself;What time of day do you experience this strife? This is done to create a cycle of mental readiness and to become fully prepared for the oncoming angst of Reform to your personal wealth of mental health. Sincerely, Paul

[@normalizedaudio2481]

Don't take a thief for a friend.

[@ekaa.3189]

TURN OFF ALL NOTIFICATIONS!!!!! On all your phones, computers, and other devices. I started doing this over a decade ago. People wonder why I'm so productive. Never try to do more than one thing at a time, and give yourself an hour plus uninterrupted to do tasks.

[@charlottewilson3031]

I do the same! Then your friends say to you, "didn't you receive my text"! No, I didn't have an annoying buzz letting me know that you texted me!!

[@katherinejones8022]

Share this with educators & legislators!

[@jenniferdonovan727]

Ha, Can Relate

[@ilenet9911]

this book is #3 on amazon’s top ten books of 2022. i found this out as i was googling while watching this! 😂

[@danhumphrey5755]

I hate all phones. Watching my dad race, even at 83 years of age, to catch a ringing telephone is one of the reasons. Then there are those who call just because they're bored and have nothing else to do. I hate small-talk too. But, when I go into the public and see so many people glued to their phones, standing in doorways looking at their phones, waiting in a check-out line for the idiot in front of me to finish their phone call or text before unloading their grocery cart, looking at their phone instead of getting their wallet out, it's a nightmare out there!

[@kristinamelnichenko5775]

3 things maximize the chance of achieving flow state 16:21

[@HandbrakeBiscuit]

Johann Hari: "I'm really concerned about flshing lights and gimmicks intended to grab our attention..." Also Johann Hari: "Let's go live in LAS VEGAS!!!" (jokes aside - this is important stuff and I'm very glad he's researched it and written about it)

[@madshorn5826]

A lot of good points. The reading on screens may have to be taken with a grain of salt though. I was skeptical when I first heard this and looked up one of the Norwegian studies and found it ... lacking. This study looked at a small sample (~25) of kids only having been reading for a couple of years and only on paper. Half the pupils were given a screen to read on and they performed below the pupils having known tech (books). Now was the difference measured a function of screen vs paper or of unknow vs known reading mode? The first option generates headlines, but is it true? I'd like references to more convincing studies before I buy it. Reading on (modern!) screens have to be learned, but without distracting adds I find the difference minimal. There are differences off course, but they cut both ways: You are way more likely to look up words you don't know if reading on a screen compared to reading a book, because you have the dictionary right on hand.

[@danielrae861]

Platitudes

[@Allaiya.]

What is the phone lock jail that he is talking about?

[@Starfish2145]

Can’t get off social media, my job depends on it.

[@BangTheRocksTogether]

Big fat spliffs for everybody!!! All the time!!! Then, when we need to concentrate, we can put down the spliff, bump our attention level temporarily, get shit done, then go get high again. Been doing it for years, works like a charm.

[@truman4956]

Wait, what were you saying?

[@HobertMallow]

Seems interesting but I couldn't get to the end for some reason.

[@johnadams1725]

If this interests you, Dr, Soshana Zuboff's book 'The age of surveilance Capitalism' exposes the methods used by companies like Facebook, Microsoft and Apple to retain their control over you, and where they are heading.

[@TheDavidlloydjones]

Logged off at 13 minutes. The guy seems perfectly sensible -- but did he teach me anything about the first 180 seconds?

[@abigailbp9294]

A phat spliff... Omg I'm distracted by laughing right now

[@pavelsmith2267]

Social Media, media coverage, smartphones , physical culpability, lack of civilization (lies) and the overall aptitude of the new age. We are focused on the things which are currently failing us. People are literally losing jobs} employment to robotic and synchronization. Robots and Artificial Intelligence are Synonymous. Artificial Intelligence has a price which we are paying. Albeit with or without the nuance of Knowledge.

[@stephdrake2521]

Hari is learning how to interview… I like this one but let’s not forget the author was amazing and spoke 3 times the amount as Hari …

[@kathryncainmadsen5850]

I have ADHD and we don't know what the causes are. Was it the Irish famine years plus alcohol? Nutrition plus addictive options? Trust me, kids eat sugar and processed food morning to night today. Then give them easy stimulation on phones? I'm sad.

[@vincentanguoni8938]

I don't keep my phone charged.....simple!!!!!

[@direwolf6234]

you might go 3 minutes without air .. 3 days without water .. 3 weeks without food .. but you cannot go 3 days without sleep .. and if you don't have a home with a bed you can't go on ...

[@_onesimpleidea]

Sounds like an important topic and a good book. That said, the author really really needs to slow down and think about his interview skills. Nearly unintelligible.

[@randykrus9562]

I almost got through half this video.....