FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·April 18, 2025·4 min readNegative Distractions Most Disrupt Attention and Linger in MemoryA new study reveals that upsetting distractions significantly impair our ability to sustain attention and also linger more strongly in memory. Researchers tested this by having participants perform a 10-minute visual attention task while emotionally charged images appeared in the background.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceVisual Neuroscience·April 15, 2025·4 min readBrain Learns to Tune Out Distractions with Repeated ExposureOur brains can adapt to filter out repeated distractions, according to a new EEG study. Participants learned to ignore frequent visual distractions, such as a red shape in the same location, while searching for a target.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·March 29, 2025·5 min readWhy Simply Putting Away Your Phone Won’t Help You FocusA new study reveals that placing your smartphone out of reach doesn’t significantly reduce distraction or boost productivity. While participants used their phones less when they were farther away, they simply shifted their attention to other devices like laptops. The core issue isn’t the phone itself but the deeply ingrained habits and routines we’ve built around it. Smartphones remain the preferred tool for distraction due to their multifunctionality, portability, and tactile design.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·February 20, 2025·4 min readHow the Brain Ignores Distractions to Stay FocusedWhen focusing in noisy environments, the brain adjusts not by concentrating harder but by ignoring distractions that were previously disruptive. Researchers developed a neural network model showing that people fine-tune their attention based on past experiences with distractions.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·May 17, 2024·5 min readDistracted Eating Fuels Later IndulgenceDistractions during meals, such as watching videos or playing games, can lead to decreased enjoyment and satisfaction, triggering compensatory overconsumption of pleasurable activities later. This phenomenon, termed "hedonic compensation," suggests that individuals seek to fulfill their unmet enjoyment quota by indulging in other pleasurable activities.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·October 25, 2023·5 min readOur Innate Novelty Cravings Amplified by the Digital AgeA recent paper shifts the blame for our tech-driven distractions from information overload to our minds' innate craving for novelty. The research suggests that the ease with which digital platforms provide fresh, ever-changing content has magnified our predisposition for 'checking habits'.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·December 11, 2022·4 min readConstant Smartphone Notifications Tax Your BrainConstant push notifications on smartphones may affect cognition by decreasing concentration and increasing distraction. Researchers found heavy smartphone use was associated with poor concentration recovery following a notification and alterations in brain activity that made people more sensitive to push notifications.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·November 28, 2022·4 min readWhy Silly Distractions at Work Can Actually Be Good for YouHaving fun with co-workers can help to reduce stress at work, a new study reports.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·July 10, 2020·6 min readHow the Brain Focuses While Ignoring DistractionsMouse study pinpoints the precise location in the brain where distracting stimuli are blocked, allowing for concentration on specific tasks. The findings could have implications for the treatment of ADHD and schizophrenia.Read More
FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·September 13, 2019·4 min readDistractions distort what’s realDistractions may change our perceptions of reality, making us believe we witnessed something different from what we really saw.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·June 12, 2019·5 min readHow we tune out distractionsA pathway linking the basal ganglia to the thalamus enhances sensory discrimination and is used to suppress 'background noise'. The pathway, which is controlled by the prefrontal cortex, selectively suppresses sensory input as it flows to the thalamus.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·June 6, 2018·5 min readDistracted People Can Be Smell BlindResearchers say inattentional anosmia exists. People who are busily engaged in tasks or distracted may not notice the presence of new smells, a new study reveals.Read More
