Smartphones have rendered the likening of one’s attention span to that of a goldfish scientifically inaccurate.
That’s because according to scientists who studied the brain activity of 2000 Canadian smartphone users, we now have an attention span of just eight seconds. Goldfish, meanwhile, are able to retain their focus for a full nine seconds.
So if you’re still reading this, you’ve already defied the odds.
The research revealed human attention spans have fallen by four seconds since 2000, around the time the mobile revolution began.
“Canadians with more digital lifestyles (those who consume more media, are multi-screeners, social media enthusiasts, or earlier adopters of technology) struggle to focus in environments where prolonged attention is needed,” determined the study, which was conducted by Microsoft.
University of Western Ontario researcher Bruce Morton believes these findings are the result of people craving more information. It’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, which any victim of compulsive Wikipedia link surfing can attest.
Smartphone addiction is all too real – and the first step is admitting you have a problem. Find out if you’re addicted to your mobile device by completing a short quiz here.
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