Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again
- Downloads：2003
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-01-03 05:20:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Johann Hari
- ISBN：B093G9TS91
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
NellieTests
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I was really keen to read this latest book by Johann Hari。 As someone with a slightly addictive personality and as the parent of a teen I was keen to see whether this offered a different focus to other texts。 In part it did， but ultimately， I think that in the quest to be different the outcome was a lesser book and， at times， a frustrating read。I found myself unsure whether this was meant to be a personal journey of discovery with some side notes or an academic text with a side of personalisatio I was really keen to read this latest book by Johann Hari。 As someone with a slightly addictive personality and as the parent of a teen I was keen to see whether this offered a different focus to other texts。 In part it did， but ultimately， I think that in the quest to be different the outcome was a lesser book and， at times， a frustrating read。I found myself unsure whether this was meant to be a personal journey of discovery with some side notes or an academic text with a side of personalisation。 There was little new and more than a soupçon of repetition。 There were good sections on manipulation （particularly by social media） but it would perhaps have been nice to see something on how better to co-exist。 Take-aways were limited and as a result it was hard to take what is to be learned from this book and re-tell it to a younger audience in a way that will not immediately alienate。This book will make you think， but， ultimately， you are unlikely to be surprised。 Perhaps add it to the "read" pile rather than the "must-read" pileWith thanks to the author， publisher and NetGalley for the advance copy。 。。。more
MS
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A fascinating， deeply profound， beautifully told book about our very real and troubling attention crisis。 The book not only made me realise how problematic our decline focus and attention is collectively but how I too had lost more focus then I cared to admit。 The experts/professors/people he meets along the way are appropriately instrumental to the narrative， but what really hits home， is Johann’s own experiences with the struggles of his own attention and the openness and objectiveness of the A fascinating， deeply profound， beautifully told book about our very real and troubling attention crisis。 The book not only made me realise how problematic our decline focus and attention is collectively but how I too had lost more focus then I cared to admit。 The experts/professors/people he meets along the way are appropriately instrumental to the narrative， but what really hits home， is Johann’s own experiences with the struggles of his own attention and the openness and objectiveness of the solutions he comes across。 He admits in the book， that this is a tough problem to solve and that he has by no means found the winning solution， but I was left with an infallible sense that my own attention had gone past repair and that the world we live in is rigged to capture and steal it。 It was very difficult to see actual solutions that in the coming weeks I could take forward in my own life。 It made me realise how much bigger than me and my own actions the problem was， but at the same time that the answer lies in a societal， joint approach in solving it。 Overall， an amazing journey in the attention crisis， that I couldn’t put down， that was so exceptionally well written and researched。 As always， with Johanns books， it’s so compelling， engaging and readable， it’s doesn’t feel like non-fiction。 。。。more
Kate Henderson
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I've really enjoyed Johann Hari's previous books， particularly when the focus is on mental health。 Unfortunately I just couldn't get on with this book。I found Hari's writing to go around the houses a little bit， i didn't like how it just felt like a diary entry or memoir at the beginning。 It took a long time， before the 'facts' started coming。 I didn't like how Hari kept going back to the 'Graceland' story。 I appreciate this was the idea that linked everything together， but I personally just fou I've really enjoyed Johann Hari's previous books， particularly when the focus is on mental health。 Unfortunately I just couldn't get on with this book。I found Hari's writing to go around the houses a little bit， i didn't like how it just felt like a diary entry or memoir at the beginning。 It took a long time， before the 'facts' started coming。 I didn't like how Hari kept going back to the 'Graceland' story。 I appreciate this was the idea that linked everything together， but I personally just found it really dull and it didn't work for me。I wish the book had just been more straight to the point， and a little less about Hari's own life - I wanted to know about the topic， and not so much about the author。 I switched off when this happened。I didn't enjoy this book。 。。。more
Bob Hughes
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I greatly enjoyed one of Hari's earlier books， 'Lost Connections' about mental health， and a lot of his journalistic flair and focus is on show in this book。In it， Hari looks at the various reasons underpinning the problems that many of us face with focus， especially given the last couple of years。 He deftly avoids the obvious argument of 'it's all phones and social media！' and instead delves more deeply into the various societal problems （environmental collapse， pollution， political instability I greatly enjoyed one of Hari's earlier books， 'Lost Connections' about mental health， and a lot of his journalistic flair and focus is on show in this book。In it， Hari looks at the various reasons underpinning the problems that many of us face with focus， especially given the last couple of years。 He deftly avoids the obvious argument of 'it's all phones and social media！' and instead delves more deeply into the various societal problems （environmental collapse， pollution， political instability， growing anxiety， food deserts） that exacerbate the problem。 He does spend some time investigating phones and social media， but in a nuanced way that acknowledges that they are just tools， albeit ones that have been designed to mine data and be highly addictive。 The end of the book is where Hari comes into his own， drawing together the various strands and conclusions from across the book into something substantial and practical- outlining some ways that you can start to wrestle with the issue and bring your own focus back under control。 I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Debbie Rayner
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I haven't read anything on this subject before and found this book to be both fascinating and terrifying。 It resonated greatly and is a text I will dip back into。Definitely a book everyone should put down their smart phone and read。Highly recommend。 I haven't read anything on this subject before and found this book to be both fascinating and terrifying。 It resonated greatly and is a text I will dip back into。Definitely a book everyone should put down their smart phone and read。Highly recommend。 。。。more
Kerry
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I'm not a great fan of this kind of book， actually， but I'm grateful to Netgalley for the pre-pub copy and I'm surprised and pleased at how much I enjoyed reading it。 Hari is an intelligent， cogent and fluent writer who has made the idea， debates and controversies around the increase in ADHD diagnoses， amongst other issues， a highly compelling read in this book。 There is a bit of dancing around （I'm trying not to say 'padding out'） with information that isn't new， so if you're familiar with the I'm not a great fan of this kind of book， actually， but I'm grateful to Netgalley for the pre-pub copy and I'm surprised and pleased at how much I enjoyed reading it。 Hari is an intelligent， cogent and fluent writer who has made the idea， debates and controversies around the increase in ADHD diagnoses， amongst other issues， a highly compelling read in this book。 There is a bit of dancing around （I'm trying not to say 'padding out'） with information that isn't new， so if you're familiar with the research around 'focus' and 'attention'， you might find yourself skipping though great swathes of this book， but there is some new information and research here that I think could have been developed a bit further。 That said， what makes this book is the quality of the writing。 Well worth a read。 Recommended。 。。。more
Nic
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I was offered this book as an ARC and was intrigued to read it as maintaining concentration in the digital world is a complicated issue。 The topic particularly resonated when I was interrupted reading a sentence about how an adult is interrupted on average every 3 minutues from the task they are trying to perform。 This was only on page 8！As I am studying a creative arts degree part time， I am particularly interested in the connection between messages and the medium used to convey them。 On p79 Ha I was offered this book as an ARC and was intrigued to read it as maintaining concentration in the digital world is a complicated issue。 The topic particularly resonated when I was interrupted reading a sentence about how an adult is interrupted on average every 3 minutues from the task they are trying to perform。 This was only on page 8！As I am studying a creative arts degree part time， I am particularly interested in the connection between messages and the medium used to convey them。 On p79 Hari discusses the impact of social media。 I will admit that I am not a fan of social media as I've always struggled to understand how it is possible to have a nuanced discussion on an issue in 280 characters （in the case of twitter）。 Hari succinctly and clearly outlines potential issues of engaging with the world through the lens （or services） of various social media sites。 The only criticism I would have would be that when he did looks at for instance， instagram and summarises the overarching message in the medium as "how you look on the outside"， he does not mention how， once this is understood， this can be used to the user's advantage - hence my use of Instagram as a sort of library of artists' work - but that is a very minor issue。 The thrust of his argument is that the world is a complex and nuanced place that social media is attempting to simplify。 My original background is in science and computer coding and so I can see how the programmers' may have been naive in their attempts to connect the world。 By setting parameters of "success" for a computer such as number of likes or shares， they didn't foresee the problem that computers cannot make a judgement call on the morality of those likes or the veracity （based on peer-reviewed evidence） of articles and statements。 These social media sites are acting exactly as they were programmed to behave and I do think it is up to the individual to be aware of these limitations as well as the human instinct to dislike being challenged which can easily descend into us each entering our own echo chamber。 After all， who doesn't like to be told they are right？By page 110， Hari is discussing suggestions for improving the coding such that the services are of more benefit to the user such as batch notifications for emails to create daily rather than instant alerts （there are ways of setting this up） but an argument could be made that like any addiction a person could simply turn off notifications completely and choose to check when it is convenient for them。 Similarly， he advocates a warning system that warns you that clicking that friend's photo is likely to distract you for twenty minutes。 As someone who is already wondering how much of my life is taken up accepting/rejecting cookies on every website， do I really need to be told that clicking on an image from a friend is likely to distract me further？ Truth be told， the fact I am looking at an image feed at all means I know am very likely to already be procrastinating！ I can understand the premise that giving the user the extra moment to consider if they really want to do it may make some stop， if you have opened your alcohol cabinet， entered the alcohol aisle in a supermarket or walked into a pub， does the warning label on the bottle really stop you drinking alcohol？One topic mentioned on p 116 was the invention of the infinite scroll and the discomfort that some programmers felt when they realised the impact it was having。 Being of an age where I remember the introduction of this technology， I am highly aware of that devil on your shoulder that says "go on， one more scroll。 The best thing you've seen today may just pop up"。 As soon as I realised that voice was there I put a monitor on my usage and was shocked at how much time was being sucked in even as someone who isn't keen on social media。 I now have time-limiting applied to these apps which is something I reco，mend trialling even if it is to make yourself aware of how much time you spend on different activities！Hari talks to Aza who raises the fact that he was seeing people becoming "more unempathetic， angry and hostile as their social-media use went up" （p116） and I think this does feed into the idea of building your own echo chamber。 If you can just delete or dismiss a comment you disagree with or， as seems to be becoming more common， you are never exposed to the opposing viewpoint either because the coding of the site isn't rewarded by providing balance or that peoplewho hold opposing views don't voice them openly for fear of the hassle of a barrage of negative comments （and at worst abuse）。 It is easier to type a negative reaction to a comment online than to look person inthe eye and have the same confrontation or discussion。 As Hari goes on to discuss， on p125 it is important to be aware that the algorithm is going to select posts for your feed that feed your outrage as "on average， we will stare at something negative and outrageous for a lot longer than we will stare at something calm"。 This feeding of hate and lack of empathy does appear to be seeping into everyday culture。 It certainly made me wonder if this is the sort of world I want to live in？The question inevitably becomes whether we can change things before they go too far but history is littered with examples of things that were considered normal but we would not now。 I was strangely reassured that a 1980s quote from a Californian Assembly member during a debate about rape in marriage is truly shocking to me in 2021: "But if you can't rape your wife， who can you rape？" I do like to believe that anything can be changed if there is enough collective will and much of that will can be garnered from open discussions with a wide variety of people and remaining open minded。 Hari moves on to discussions of stress， particularly stress in children and the rise of the diagnoses of ADHD。 This is something that I have seen increase dramatically over the course of my own lifetime and particularly the increased use of medicating children so I found this section of interest。 It wasn't entirely surprising to see the results of studies that showed that if there were stressors in the home environment， the chances of and ADHD diagnosis increased。 The fact that this book has been written and that adults are struggling to concentrate if they have other stresses in their lives， it is hardly surprising that children will experience the same。The main study that I found the author to propose as a potential solution is one I have followed and watched documentaries on。 It is an experiment where Finland provided 2000 citizens with a form of universal basic income。 Now this topic has been raised often in recent years as a potential future and Hari seems to be very biased on the side of its introduction （though that may be my interpretation）。 He presents the fact that people's stress is reduced when they know they have an income which seems a very reasonable argument。 However the documentary I watched a while ago （so forgive me for forgetting the name） presented a much more nuanced set of results。 In that documentary， some participants had used the money to completely change their lives for the better， for others the outcomes weren't so favourable。 I can almost hear the shouts of "you're missing the point。 It wouldn't be time limited etc。" But my following question that no one ever seems to touch on is this: what would be the impact on wider economics？ 1。 Where would a universal income come from for every person on the planet？ Printing money essentially？ If so， would that not cause inflation or even hyperinflation？ At which point the basic income to live on becomes worthless and destroys the exercise。 All the experiments I have seen have been in small groups of people so they have disposable income compared to their neighbours etc。 I have yet to see a study about the ramifications of rolling this out nationally or globally and am happy to be pointed to any paper that has。 As a case in point， the current global situation did cause the UK government to furlough a large proportion of the population and it will certainly be interesting to see what the ramifications of this are in the coming years。The other contentious issue mentioned was that of the 4 day working week （whilst paying people for 5 days）。 It is interesting to read that Hari mentions that in the 18th century （p185） people were expected to work 6 days a week。 There were strikes and by banding together over the decades both the 5 day week and the 8 hour working day were introduced。 Hari argues that the gig economy and disbanding of the unions has made it harder for workers to fight for their rights and whilst this is certainly true （with some troubling issues yet to be resolved） however I couldn't help wondering how far it is possible to take this argument？ How many days and/or hours should be the maximum worked？ Our generation forget that we have far better pay and conditions than many of our ancestors and there seemed to be a lack of balance on where the line could reasonably be drawn。 In a consumer economy， people are more than happy to spend money and often aim to maximise their buying power but someone tends to lose out somewhere。 The recent Black Friday that feels like Black November or the rise of fast fashion does make you question how can there be no cognitive dissonance with wanting to work fewer hours for the same money whilst using that same currency to purchase ever greater amounts？I don't want to sound negative to such an extent as the author did also look at other influences including chemicals that have entered our diets and atmosphere to which we still don't know the full ramifications。 This is such a multifaceted topic that it cannot help but make the reader stop and think about what they are doing and their behaviour in a wide variety of aspects of their lives。 The author is right that some of these things will require a concerted effort from the collective will to change but sometimes taking the time to stop， consider and make small changes for yourself can give you a sense of advocacy that is satisfying in itself。This is a book that gives the reader a lot of food for thought and I feel encourages the reader to think about these issues for yourself。 In reality， what more can you want from a book like this？ 。。。more
Chris Boutté
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When I finished this book， I was extremely conflicted， and I figured out why。 I hold Johann Hari to an extremely high standard because I truly believe that his previous book Lost Connections is one of the most important books ever written about depression， and I’ve read it multiple times。 Johann and his team were kind enough to send me an early copy of this new book， and I binged it。 Johann is an amazing writer， and I can breeze through just about any book he puts out there because his style is When I finished this book， I was extremely conflicted， and I figured out why。 I hold Johann Hari to an extremely high standard because I truly believe that his previous book Lost Connections is one of the most important books ever written about depression， and I’ve read it multiple times。 Johann and his team were kind enough to send me an early copy of this new book， and I binged it。 Johann is an amazing writer， and I can breeze through just about any book he puts out there because his style is perfection。 But when I saw what this book was about， I knew that Johann was going to be fighting a difficult battle because this book is all about how technology has stolen our attention， and this book topic has been covered extensively in books and articles for a while now。 With Lost Connections， he had the same challenge， and he nailed it， but I don’t think he was able to do it as well with this book。Don’t get me wrong， this book is fantastic， and I think everyone should read it。 Although I’ve read dozens of books on this topic， there were definitely quite a few chapters where Johann brought something new to the conversation。 I especially loved his chapters on the benefits of mind wandering as well as discussing some of the debates and controversies around the increase in ADHD diagnoses。 One of my favorite parts of the book was his conflicted views on Nir Eyal because I’ve had a similar conflict about the man who wrote a book about getting people hooked on tech， and then his follow-up book is the exact opposite。 I think Johann navigated this topic very well， and I’m glad he pushed back on Nir in their conversation。 I’m also looking forward to listening to the full conversation on the book’s website。Aside from the moments in the book where Johann brings something new， there’s a lot of repeat information for anyone familiar with this topic。 Johann interviews and tells the stories of people we’re familiar with like tech ethicist Tristan Harris as well as the famous flow researcher Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi。 There are also a few places in this book where he covers topics and research that were in Lost Connections such as Universal Basic Income， but he does use some different examples of the research behind it。 Overall， this is a great book， and I’m sure most readers will love it。 I really enjoyed the book， but if you’re like me and are familiar with the subject matter， you may be somewhat let down。 Again， I’m extremely biased because his previous book is one of my favorites， so I suggest you check it out and form your own opinion regardless because Johann is doing great work。 One thing I respect about Johann is that he’s always looking at the biggest issues making us miserable and tries to find solutions。 。。。more
Stefanie
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