A groundbreaking new look at how we pay attention that can help us perform better – and be happier – in the digital world.

Psychologist Gloria Mark began researching how technology affects human attention when offices were first getting computers. Over the last 30 years, she has tracked changes in our attention spans and stress levels, and in the fundamental way our brains process information.

Now in Attention Span, Dr Mark shows how much of what we think we know about attention is wrong. She explores the current crisis of focus and productivity that is so deeply entwined with rising rates of anxiety and depression, and investigates what we might be able to do about it. Delving into the newly celebrated concept of ‘kinetic attention’, she introduces a more balanced understanding of the rhythm between deep focus and less focused states, which may actually serve to make us happier and more productive in the long term.

About the Author

Dr Gloria Mark is Chancellor's Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine, and a leader in the fields of attention, multitasking and human-computer interactions. She is a two-time recipient of the Google Research Award and has conducted some of the world's most detailed on-site research in the workplace, using a range of sensors, biosensors, and other measures to track employee behaviour to measure focus, stress, and computer activity. Her primary research interest is in understanding the impact of digital media on people's lives and she is best known for her work in studying people's multitasking, mood and behaviour while using digital media in real world environments.