We hear a lot about the importance of sustained, deep focus, but it turns out, there are four types of attention and they’re all useful in different ways. “Attention has typically been thought of as being in two states: focused and unfocused,” explains researcher Gloria Mark, adding that it’s actually “much more nuanced than that.”
Mark and other researchers are finding out that attention has two parts: challenge and engagement. Deep focus, which is what we tend to think of in terms of attention, has a high level of engagement and challenge. But it’s possible to be engaged, but not challenged or challenged, but not engaged, and that’s where the four types of attention come in. They are:
- Focus - Focused attention includes a level of engagement, where the mind is actively paying attention to something while being engaged. Mark says when you’re focused on something, your mind is really working to understand it and there’s a challenge involved.
- Rote attention - Unlike deep focus, this type of attention is when you’re deeply engaged in something without being challenged, like scrolling through social media. Mark notes that there are actually a lot of things on our phones and computers that hold our attention, but don’t challenge us at all.
- Boredom - This happens when you’re not being challenged and you’re not actively engaging in something. When we’re bored, we’re not using our cognitive resources and we notice the passage of time much more. We might not like being bored, but it can help flip the switch to focused attention in creative ways, including finding a new or unexpected thing to do.
- Frustration - This is what happens during difficult activities that really challenge us and require a lot of attention, but we don’t enjoy them and there’s little engagement. Frustration zaps our energy quickly, so we try to avoid it.
Focused attention also requires a lot of energy, which makes it hard to do for long periods of time. On the flip side, rote attention doesn’t drain our energy, but it’s very engaging and can help us replenish energy. So Marks recommends finding ways to switch between focus and rote attention to help avoid burnout. Playing games, going for a walk or doing another mindless activity you enjoy can help you get back into focused attention when you need to.
Source: Lifehacker