Distracted? Don't blame your age
Some older research is to blame for the idea that elderly folks have the attention spans of toddlers.
Not so, says the latest—and more realistic—research.
Prior accepted opinion has been that sights and sounds distract older people, taking away their ability to focus. This recent study was designed to further test this "prevailing wisdom."
Forty-eight participants were enlisted, made up of two groups. One group included 16- to 38-year-olds, the other 65- to 90-year-olds. The research took into consideration the two types of attention, voluntary and involuntary.
Voluntary attention is when you're purposely blocking out distractions. Let's say there are children playing in the same room where you're trying to listen to the news. It seems just about all parents have honed a skill that allows them to block out that noise and actually hear the news program.
Involuntary attention is when you're not expecting a distraction, such as your doorbell ringing. Your attention has been grabbed with no forethought or planning on your part.
The researchers measured voluntary attention by seeing if a participant's response sped up when they were expecting a certain sound and their expectation was met when the sound played. They also measured if their response time slowed when they got something different than their expectation, such as a flashing light in place of the expected sound.
To measure involuntary attention, participants were unaware beforehand of the type of distraction that was coming. The ability to switch between the senses was measured, mixing up visual and audio distracters. If a loud clap was heard, was response faster than if a light flashed?
Both age groups were able to switch equally well between the senses, with there being no distinct advantage for being either younger or older.
If you're finding yourself distracted lately, it's most likely stemming from lifestyle and not a function of your age or mental faculties. One culprit could be caffeine, a well-known and documented stimulant. If you drink caffeine, try cutting back, or cut it out entirely. See if that helps smooth your ruffled mind a bit. My patients report back that this is generally the case when they try this little experiment.
Another little trick: Take a few time-out breaths throughout the day. Slow down, focus, and breathe deeply through your nose. Repeat a couple of times. Feel the air as it travels all the way down, deep into the base of your lungs. Feels good, doesn't it? Shut your eyes (if circumstances allow), and then open them again. Make this a regular habit and reap the benefits.
Sometimes the best explanations and habits are the simplest ones.
