Urbanites less focused
A study finds that city life lessens attention span.
During your morning commute you navigate traffic, scan the day’s headlines at a newsstand, dodge fellow pedestrians and look for the closest Starbucks.
And while you’re acknowledging stimuli, your brain is computing and disregarding all the useless material, too.
Such daily urban stimulation may cause an overall decrease in focus, suggests a study to be published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance.
Researchers from the University of London’s Goldsmith College examined a very specific segment of Namibians: the Himba people. Himba are traditionally rural farmers. Some Himba have retained this way of life, while others have migrated to the city Opuwo, where their lives are largely westernized.
More from MSN Living: Crazy dating trends we hope go away
By comparing the attention spans of these two populations of Himba on designated tasks, researchers concluded that city life likely causes a cognitive load that favors “reduced attentional engagement.” Urbanites’ minds must compute more information, so they engage less devotedly with the specifics, in other words.
In the study, rural Himba were far better at tuning out distractions than their urban counterparts during an experiment where they were asked to identify arrows pointing in particular directions.
More from MSN Living: The truth behind Seen on TV products
To ascertain whether this phenomenon held across cultures, the researchers compared urban Himba brain patterns to Londoners’: they were remarkably similar.
While the researchers didn't conclude that city folk have inferior attention spans to country folk, they do report that, “the effect of cognitive load was indistinguishable from the effect of urbanization."
So it may be that life in the city isn’t faster, it’s just that your focus is in high demand.
More from Daily Dose:
Can animals predict weather?
Life found above Earth
Facebook can’t get you fired
Love content like this? Friend us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and find us on Pinterest.
Photo: Jasper James/Getty Images
inspire: live a better life
-
Who should pay for a same-sex wedding?
Miss Manners touches on the financial requirements of same-sex in-laws for a wedding celebration.
-
100 ways to save money
Saving money only requires a few things: common sense, observation and self-restraint. It’s not always fun – especially in our consumer-driven society – but it’s always wise. So with a little research and some good old-fashioned inside-of-the-box thinking, we present 100 ways to get your spending back on track and your savings account flush with capital.
-
Ordinary people doing extraordinary things
You don’t have to be a saint or a genius to do something great. Here are 20 inspiring stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
-
14 Gifts Under $100
Adorable, original gifts to delight dads, grads, and newlyweds (plus they're under $100!).
-
9 summer solstice traditions
Happy summer solstice, the celestial event celebrating the longest day and shortest night of the year. Here are 9 summer solstice traditions:
-
I thought we had a good time on the first date
Miss Manners shares how to handle the next steps after a first date...gone wrong.
-
What do I do when I blank on someone's name?
Miss Manners advises on how to navigate the potentially embarrassing situation.
-
9 simple ways to de-stress at home
When there's no time to escape to the spa, create your own oasis at home. Here are nine ways to help you decompress in the comfort of your bedroom.
-
Help: I only have 6 invitations for my graduation
Miss Manners offers advice on what to do when you don't have enough invites.
-
30 Is NOT the New 20. But Is That Bad or Good for Us?
Clinical psychologist Meg Jay recently gave a TED talk that may make 30-somethings or almost-30-somethings break out in a nervous sweat. Here’s her main message: You know how you’re always hearing that 30 is the new 20? Phew, right? Wrong!
-
When children suffer from a family feud
Miss Manners talks about how to handle separated parents and extended family who don't get along.
-
My step-child is causing me heartache
Miss Manners on how to handle a stressful situation involving a step-daughter, an ex-son-in-law and a grandchild
