{"id":777923,"date":"2019-11-29T09:00:54","date_gmt":"2019-11-29T08:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/?post_type=articles&p=777923"},"modified":"2020-11-17T09:43:11","modified_gmt":"2020-11-17T08:43:11","slug":"concentration-the-new-superpower-of-the-21st-century","status":"publish","type":"articles","link":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/articles\/concentration-the-new-superpower-of-the-21st-century\/","title":{"rendered":"Concentration: The New Superpower of the 21st Century"},"featured_media":777921,"template":"","meta":{"_has_post_settings":[]},"schools":[29,32,33,35],"areas":[20,26],"subjects":[421,420],"class_list":["post-777923","articles","type-articles","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","schools-business-school","schools-global-and-public-affairs","schools-human-sciences-and-technology","schools-university","areas-human-behavior","areas-technology","subjects-humanities","subjects-managing-people"],"custom-fields":{"wpcf-article-summary-enable":["1"],"wpcf-article-summary":["Given the constant onslaught of distractions in today\u2019s world, concentration in essential in order to give the best of oneself. It is no surprise that focus is one of the most sought-after skills for people as well as companies. Digital addiction is creating a series of major problems. Many studies have documented considerable losses in workplace productivity, especially\u2014though not exclusively\u2014among new professionals. Digital minimalism and behaviors that foster concentration are more important than ever, both in professional contexts that require constant learning and in the personal sphere, where developing one\u2019s maximum potential is a source of satisfaction and happiness."],"wpcf-article-leadin":["Focus and concentration are shaping up to be the new superpowers that companies will look for in 21st<\/sup>-century professionals. In a society shaped by the constant use of technologies, our brains are losing the ability to concentrate on a single task for an extended period of time. For the sake of the common good, we need to optimize the time we spend online, limit our digital activities, and exercise the \u201cmuscle\u201d of our attention."],"wpcf-article-body":["\u201cPeople are happier when they can fully develop their potential.\u201d This is the sort of saying you might find plastered on the wall behind your company\u2019s reception desk, but the underlying concept\u2014eudaimonia<\/em>\u2014is precisely how Aristotle defined happiness more than two thousand years ago. One of the biggest obstacles to happiness in today\u2019s world is the continuous increase in distraction and, consequently, the growing difficulty of concentration.\r\n\r\nNew data shed light on the loss of attention brought about by the constant use of digital applications. According to Udemy in Depth: 2018 Workplace Distraction Report,<\/em> three out of four millennials and members of Generation\u00a0Z describe themselves as distracted at work, while half say that they are less productive and not performing as well as they should.\r\n\r\nData on time spent using digital applications reveal striking trends. On average, we devote more than five years of our lives to social media and at least two hours and fifty-one minutes each day to our mobile phones. In a given day, we unlock our screens more than 150 times, switch from one app to another nearly 600 times, and check our email 88 times.\r\n\r\nOur phones are modern-day Trojan horses that threaten the strength of our concentration. An estimated 66% of the population suffers from nomophobia\u2014the fear of being without one\u2019s mobile telephone.\r\n
It should come as no surprise if recruiters at leading companies start prioritizing focus and concentration over IQ tests and other skills.<\/blockquote>\r\nThe risks of multitasking<\/strong>\r\n\r\nOne of the current dangers is that regular multitasking is encouraged and considered a valuable professional skill. In many cases, multitasking actually threatens productivity and prevents us from engaging in sustained concentration at work and in our personal lives.\r\n\r\nAccording to Cal Newport, Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University, one of the negative consequences of multitasking is the problem of \u201cattention residue.\u201d When you shift your focus from one task to another, a tiny bit of your attention remains stuck on the initial task. This residue effect is especially strong when the task you shift away from remains unfinished. Who among us has not kept thinking about emails, articles, and jobs left undone throughout the day, despite being occupied with other tasks? Attention residue builds up as we constantly switch from one task to another, wearing down our capacity for attention.\r\n
Our phones are modern-day Trojan horses that threaten the strength of our concentration.<\/blockquote>\r\nWill focus and concentration replace IQ?<\/strong>\r\n\r\nThe inability to concentrate is a disorder that starts affecting professionals while they are still in school. According to Jennifer Shore (\u201cSocial Media Distractions Cost U.S. Economy $650 Billion<\/a>\u201d), students who succumb to distractions while studying see their GPA fall by a full point and score 18% lower on their final exams. According to Glenn Wilson of London\u2019s Institute of Psychiatry, telephones and other technological<\/a> devices and applications can cause a 10% decrease in IQ\u2014twice the impact of cannabis consumption.\r\n\r\nDistraction is a growing concern in many countries. According to the American Psychological Association\u2019s 2018 Stress in America survey, two thirds of the country\u2019s population feels that disconnecting from digital media is important for health. Paradoxically, the people most committed to limiting technology<\/a> in their everyday lives are the great gurus of Silicon Valley, who have famously implemented digital detox periods<\/a>.\r\n\r\nTherefore, it should come as no surprise if recruiters at leading companies start prioritizing focus and concentration over IQ tests and other skills. Concentration enables professionals to improve their performance and complete complex tasks that require continuous learning within the company.\r\n
One of the current dangers is that regular multitasking is encouraged and considered a valuable professional skill.<\/blockquote>\r\nNavigating the attention economy<\/strong>\r\n\r\nJust over two years ago, The Economist<\/em> ran a cover story entitled \u201cThe world\u2019s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data<\/a>.\u201d The biggest Western companies\u2014Google, Amazon, and Facebook\u2014have business models based on data, so they have to capture our attention. We can no longer attribute our distraction and technological<\/a> dependence solely to boredom, anxiety, stress, low self-esteem, or other psychological ailments. We are up against some of the world\u2019s most talented<\/a> professionals, who are vying to compete for and capture a valuable limited resource: our attention.\r\n\r\nSocial networks, the digital world\u2019s greatest competitors for our attention, have tapped into our desire for social recognition and our fluctuating levels of dopamine\u2014the neurotransmitter behind the shot of pleasure that hits your brain with every new \u201clike.\u201d Some very interesting experiments by Robert Sapolsky, a professor of biology at Stanford University, have shown that the anticipation of something that could happen\u2014\u201dthe magic of maybe\u201d\u2014causes dopamine levels to rise. Dopamine explains the positive reinforcement of pleasure that you experience every time you check your apps for new \u201clikes\u201d or incoming messages. The constant desire to check social media threatens our ability to control our attention and, therefore, our productivity at work and in our personal lives.\r\n
Concentration paves the way towards satisfaction and well-being: the only recipe for happiness.<\/blockquote>\r\nExercising your attention muscle<\/strong>\r\n\r\nFor all the reasons outlined above, it is not easy to develop concentration skills. Experts like Cal Newport have struck back with theories such as digital minimalism<\/a>, a work philosophy that calls for a more optimized and effective use of technologies<\/a>, focusing solely on tools that actually add value.\r\n\r\nDeveloping the attention muscle requires behaviors<\/a> and practices that come from within each individual. These efforts are necessary in order to boost the productivity of companies and institutions in rapidly changing contexts characterized by complex challenges that demand continuous learning, which is only possible through focus and concentration. But they are also essential for people to achieve their goals, give the best of themselves, and reach a state of eudaimonia.<\/em> In short, concentration paves the way towards satisfaction and well-being: the only recipe for happiness.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\n\u00a9 IE Insights."],"wpcf-article-extract-enable":["1"],"wpcf-article-extract":["By Borja Santos<\/strong>. Focus and concentration are shaping up to be the new superpowers that companies will look for in 21st<\/sup>-century professionals. In a society shaped by the constant use of technologies, our brains are losing the ability to concentrate on a single task for an extended period of time. For the sake of the common good, we need to optimize the time we spend online, limit our digital activities, and exercise the \u201cmuscle\u201d of our attention."]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles\/777923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/articles"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/articles"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"schools","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/schools?post=777923"},{"taxonomy":"areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/areas?post=777923"},{"taxonomy":"subjects","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ie.edu\/insights\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/subjects?post=777923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}