Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention
- Downloads：8582
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-02-27 18:16:27
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：Johann Hari
- ISBN：1526620219
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
Our ability to pay attention is collapsing。 From the New York Times bestselling author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections comes a groundbreaking examination of why this is happening--and how to get our attention back。
Like so many of us， Johann Hari was finding it much harder to focus than he used to。 He found that a life of constantly switching from device to device， from tab to tab， is diminishing and depressing。 He tried all sorts of self-help solutions--even abandoning his phone for three months--but in the long-term， nothing seemed to work。 So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention and to study their scientific findings--and learned that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong。
In the U。S。， teenagers now focus on a task for only sixty-five seconds on average， and office workers manage only three minutes。 We think this inability to focus is a personal flaw， an individual failure to exert enough willpower over our devices。 The truth is even more disturbing: Our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces， and the science shows that these forces have been ramping up for decades--leaving us uniquely vulnerable， when social media arrived， to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit。 These forces have been so successful that our collapse in attention is behind many of the wider problems society faces。
In Stolen Focus， Hari embarks on a thrilling journey， taking readers from veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD， to Silicon Valley dissidents who exposed social media companies' furtive attempts to hack our focus; from a favela in Rio where everyone lost their attention in a particularly catastrophic way， to an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore their workers' attention。
In this urgent， deeply researched book， Hari shows that if we understand the twelve true causes of this crisis--from the collapse of sustained reading to the disruption of boredom to rising pollution--we， as individuals and as a society， can finally begin to solve it by staging an attention rebellion。 Finally， we have a way to get our focus back。
Like so many of us， Johann Hari was finding it much harder to focus than he used to。 He found that a life of constantly switching from device to device， from tab to tab， is diminishing and depressing。 He tried all sorts of self-help solutions--even abandoning his phone for three months--but in the long-term， nothing seemed to work。 So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention and to study their scientific findings--and learned that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong。
In the U。S。， teenagers now focus on a task for only sixty-five seconds on average， and office workers manage only three minutes。 We think this inability to focus is a personal flaw， an individual failure to exert enough willpower over our devices。 The truth is even more disturbing: Our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces， and the science shows that these forces have been ramping up for decades--leaving us uniquely vulnerable， when social media arrived， to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit。 These forces have been so successful that our collapse in attention is behind many of the wider problems society faces。
In Stolen Focus， Hari embarks on a thrilling journey， taking readers from veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD， to Silicon Valley dissidents who exposed social media companies' furtive attempts to hack our focus; from a favela in Rio where everyone lost their attention in a particularly catastrophic way， to an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore their workers' attention。
In this urgent， deeply researched book， Hari shows that if we understand the twelve true causes of this crisis--from the collapse of sustained reading to the disruption of boredom to rising pollution--we， as individuals and as a society， can finally begin to solve it by staging an attention rebellion。 Finally， we have a way to get our focus back。
Reviews
Flori
，
I really liked the first half of the book but as the style of story telling completely changed halfway through the book， I put it down。
Jill Tait
，
Wow this is a must read by everyone。 Loved it。
Joseph
，
Interesting look at some of the more systemic reasons we're all losing our ability to focus， some of which you might not immediately expect。 Felt a little naive at times， but Hari's certainly done his research。 I took a lot of notes。 Interesting look at some of the more systemic reasons we're all losing our ability to focus， some of which you might not immediately expect。 Felt a little naive at times， but Hari's certainly done his research。 I took a lot of notes。 。。。more
Jamie
，
Too good。 As an adult woman dx with ADHD and a psychotherapist this book is a MUST read。 I recommend to ppl all the time。 Fantastic。 Thank you！
Thomas Cleberg
，
Far beyond the usual and simplistic finger pointing at apps or social media， this book dives deep into multiple diverse and interacting structural causes of attention loss in the modern world and a direction of what to do about each， with an unsatisfying but energizing call to action。 This book has me excited to join group action to fix some things 'round here。 Far beyond the usual and simplistic finger pointing at apps or social media， this book dives deep into multiple diverse and interacting structural causes of attention loss in the modern world and a direction of what to do about each， with an unsatisfying but energizing call to action。 This book has me excited to join group action to fix some things 'round here。 。。。more
Allyson Bedford
，
This is the best book I’ve read in a long time。 Johann Hari takes readers on a thoughtful and at times alarming exploration of the root causes of distraction and the billion dollar industries banking on increasing your distractibility。 While there are many books on this subject matter， Hari’s writing style is conversational and easy to follow and digest。 This may become an annual reread！
Larry
，
Once I see a book with a title or sub-title with magic “How to” I run in the opposite direction。 I wont give it a second thought。 A few weeks ago， the author Johann Hari was interviewed on Christiane Amanpour’s excellent current affairs programme on PBS。 He discussed this book and I was sufficiently impressed， then finding available at my local library。 So pleased I found it。 It is well written， well researched （to an astonish degree for someone not in any of the professional fields he explores） Once I see a book with a title or sub-title with magic “How to” I run in the opposite direction。 I wont give it a second thought。 A few weeks ago， the author Johann Hari was interviewed on Christiane Amanpour’s excellent current affairs programme on PBS。 He discussed this book and I was sufficiently impressed， then finding available at my local library。 So pleased I found it。 It is well written， well researched （to an astonish degree for someone not in any of the professional fields he explores）， well presented and most importantly the subject is so timely and relevant to our time that I feel everyone should read it for self preservation and that of their families。 However do I fell his pleas and rational conclusions are possibly to a deaf and lost world。 He concludes the book by saying: “If this was a self-help book， I would be able to serve a delightfully simple conclusion to this story。 But this is not a self-help book and what I have to say is complex and starts with an admission。 As I write this is my attention has never been worse。” I think we all feel the same to some varying degree but like those featured in the excellent documentary “The Social Dilemma” （which he references in the book） in which for the first time （for me anyway） we see what’s behind the curtain of Facebook， YouTube， Tick-Tock， etc etc。， A term new to me but as frightening as an “ism” I have heard of: “Surveillance Capitalism”。 We the public （our personal information） are a commodity sold to the highest bidder， mostly known but the commodification of the individual by the baby-face founder of Facebook etc。， is as insidious as anything ever created to make money。 We are in a loosing battle。 We knew this to a degree but the extent when exposed is shocking we are in a war with the experts （far smarter than the average bear） behind the screens who want not only our data but our attention undivided and unlimited…and they are getting it， we are willing participants， and it is robbing us of our focus and attention and in essence our lives。 More importantly our children are buying into it before they are capable of a truly rational decision。 Hari’s book focus on this as the prime consideration for our lack of attention/focus but he explores in debt many other culprits。 Read this book it is important！！ 。。。more
Chad Pelley
，
Any good non fiction book should leave you enlightened。 This one will leave you frightened， too。 It should anyway。 Required reading for all of society right now。
Tim
，
This could have been a decent book， but there’s some extreme fascist apologia sprinkled throughout — falsely equating Nazis with those who defeated the Nazis， or even implying the communists were worse。 （！！！）I realize this is a bit like saying “Aside from that Mrs。 Lincoln， how was the show？”， but the rest of the book has literally nothing to do with this， and it could have been a decent 3-4 star book simply about attention with those parts removed。
Michael
，
Although not reaching the heights of previous books by the author （Lost Connections and Chasing the Scream）- and I’ll consider the sometimes meandering lack of focus as a stylistic choice to ram the message home- this is still very， very good and an important read。The discussion of both cruel optimism and surveillance capitalism would be beneficial for so many of us to better understand。 Hari consistently educates while entertaining and places a human face on what could otherwise be a dry run th Although not reaching the heights of previous books by the author （Lost Connections and Chasing the Scream）- and I’ll consider the sometimes meandering lack of focus as a stylistic choice to ram the message home- this is still very， very good and an important read。The discussion of both cruel optimism and surveillance capitalism would be beneficial for so many of us to better understand。 Hari consistently educates while entertaining and places a human face on what could otherwise be a dry run through of facts。In truth- this is only rated four in comparison to earlier works and comes very close to five stars。 。。。more
Christina
，
This book is excellent。 Should be required reading for every young person and adult in our modern world。 Makes you think about the world and your brain in an important new way。
Ana
，
this is the pinnacle of my confirmation bias reading
Kerry Bridges
，
I can't remember where I first read about this book but， goodness me， what a read。 Compelling and utterly readable， Hari explains his painstaking research into why he himself struggled to keep his focus and why that might be a problem for the rest of us。 Scary reading but nothing we don't really already know， Johann Hari crystallises his own thoughts along with the reader but comes out with some hope for the future too。 I enjoyed it so much， I've passed it on！ I can't remember where I first read about this book but， goodness me， what a read。 Compelling and utterly readable， Hari explains his painstaking research into why he himself struggled to keep his focus and why that might be a problem for the rest of us。 Scary reading but nothing we don't really already know， Johann Hari crystallises his own thoughts along with the reader but comes out with some hope for the future too。 I enjoyed it so much， I've passed it on！ 。。。more
Mira Yunus
，
I like that the book provides a wide array of topics and discusses many causes of our society's diminishing attention problem。 It doesn't get stuck to one answer on how to solve it。 It's persuasive and talks about the important issue without making it feel like a lecture。 I like that the book provides a wide array of topics and discusses many causes of our society's diminishing attention problem。 It doesn't get stuck to one answer on how to solve it。 It's persuasive and talks about the important issue without making it feel like a lecture。 。。。more
Kent Ivan
，
Puts a finger on alot of separate issues that are all causing me stress。 Will try to change this going forward
Priyanka Basnet
，
When Johann talks I just feel like listening。 He doesn't waste words and from the start he has all of my attention。 I really enjoyed his other book Lost Connection and was looking forward to reading this book as well。 I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and the book was riveting。 Looking forward to what he writes next。 When Johann talks I just feel like listening。 He doesn't waste words and from the start he has all of my attention。 I really enjoyed his other book Lost Connection and was looking forward to reading this book as well。 I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and the book was riveting。 Looking forward to what he writes next。 。。。more
Joaquin Barberis
，
Must read
Kathy
，
I liked reading a book that led me to think about a number of things that are not "as they should be"。I liked hearing about the author's perceptions of reality and causality and "who is to blame" and "what should be done"， because it made me realize how vastly different my own perceptions are。 There was just enough common ground for me to think we do， in some sense， live in the same universe。To give the book a higher rating， perhaps I would have to believe that the activist approach the author a I liked reading a book that led me to think about a number of things that are not "as they should be"。I liked hearing about the author's perceptions of reality and causality and "who is to blame" and "what should be done"， because it made me realize how vastly different my own perceptions are。 There was just enough common ground for me to think we do， in some sense， live in the same universe。To give the book a higher rating， perhaps I would have to believe that the activist approach the author advocates as the closest thing to a solution might actually "make things better" overall， instead of just create more layers of problems。 It would also be nice to hear just a touch of embarrassment about flying all over the world to interview people （and bragging about it） while preaching about the evil agents of climate change -- without （as best I recall） even mentioning increases in world population and standards of living as significant contributing factors。I'm glad I read it， and look forward to discussions with a few close friends over a glass of wine or two。 。。。more
Ann Singer-Clark
，
This book started out great and I appreciated the criticism of social media and how Facebook wants us to be hooked to buy more crap that we don’t need。 However， the second half of the book went downhill as many of the author’s propositions for better focus were very socialistic in nature。 As a physician I also found some of his ADHD “research” unfounded。
Gello
，
Well written and well researched。 Thought provoking。
Arianna
，
This book angered me and stopped me in my tracks。 I think it has ideas that are so important and tackles one of the biggest underlying issues with our society today。 I bought an analog alarm， I’m getting rid of my Google home， and I’m looking at ways to manage my time on social media better because of this book。 Really good read。
Ricky Bevins
，
Often confirming many things that you already intuitively suspected， Johann Hari uses the attention crisis to interweave several destructive phenomenons of our current neoliberal order to create an urgent battle cry to reclaim our collective attention span - which he insists is necessary if we are to ever meaningfully collaborate to tackle climate change。 Genuinely one of the best books I've read。 It's disarmingly easy to read and persuasively written。 If you've come to pick up tips on how to us Often confirming many things that you already intuitively suspected， Johann Hari uses the attention crisis to interweave several destructive phenomenons of our current neoliberal order to create an urgent battle cry to reclaim our collective attention span - which he insists is necessary if we are to ever meaningfully collaborate to tackle climate change。 Genuinely one of the best books I've read。 It's disarmingly easy to read and persuasively written。 If you've come to pick up tips on how to use your phone less， then get ready for so， so much more。 。。。more
Greg
，
Addresses one of the biggest crises of our time - our inability to concentrate， focus， pay attention。 Social media is a big part of the problem （surveillance capitalism）。 Also， our education system and the way we raise kids。 The author details twelve causes of the problem and comes up with some very practical solutions。
Jacqueline Kircher
，
Good book， good stories and anecdotes to keep me reading。 I mainly read it for the chapters on technology and skipped the chapters on ADHD
Matt Cannon
，
Well written， a good exploration of the subject， maybe light on how to "fight back" with only a list of organizations at the end Well written， a good exploration of the subject， maybe light on how to "fight back" with only a list of organizations at the end 。。。more
Saad El
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I love how the writer managed to walk us through his experience， at the same time provide valuable insights and ideas from interviews he made。 Although I didn't like he diminishes the ability and effect of an individual to protect his focus。 I love how the writer managed to walk us through his experience， at the same time provide valuable insights and ideas from interviews he made。 Although I didn't like he diminishes the ability and effect of an individual to protect his focus。 。。。more
Elise Vesterhus
，
Veldig interessant å lære mer om de tingene jeg har hatt på følelsen at er årsaken til problemet， hvordan apper og programmer er laget。 Akkurat det med miljø， mat， stress og søvn føler jeg at jeg har orden på， sånn sett føler jeg meg mer privilegert enn før jeg leste boka。 Kapittelet om adhd har jeg skjønt er kontroversielt og det skummet jeg litt og hoppet litt over。
Jennifer Walsh
，
Another book by Johann Hari that I think everyone should read ASAP。
Tracey
，
A couple of 5-star chapters amid mostly 1-star chapters。 Even some of the good parts （about how technology， reading， and sleep impact our ability to focus） are muddied by the author's myopic perspective as a single， childless， privileged， white male。 The parts about ADHD are so absurd they couldn't even be taken seriously。 A couple of 5-star chapters amid mostly 1-star chapters。 Even some of the good parts （about how technology， reading， and sleep impact our ability to focus） are muddied by the author's myopic perspective as a single， childless， privileged， white male。 The parts about ADHD are so absurd they couldn't even be taken seriously。 。。。more
Craig Michael
，
Clear and compelling--and tough to disagree with。
Tag
-
stolen focus why you can't pay attention stolen focus why you can't pay attention--and how to think deeply again stolen focus why you can't pay attention--and how to think deeply again pdf stolen focus why you can't pay attention--and how to think deeply stolen focus why you can't pay attention by johann hari stolen focus why you can't pay attention--and how to think deeply again goodreads stolen focus why you can't pay attention--and how to think deeply again epub stolen focus why you can't pay attention summary stolen focus why you can't pay attention quotes stolen focus why you can't pay attention audiobook