How to combat digital distractions and reclaim focus, according to scientists
Tehran - BORNA - According to a 2025 survey, American adults check their smartphones an average of 186 times per day—roughly once every five minutes—spending approximately five hours daily on their devices. Despite growing public concern over shrinking attention spans, conclusive data proving a permanent decline remains sparse. However, constant distractions severely impact short-term memory, problem-solving, and overall cognitive performance. Johann Hari, author of Stolen Focus, highlighted that sustained concentration is essential for complex tasks and long-term goals, stating that attention remains at the heart of all human achievement.
Understanding attention systems
According to Michael Posner, a psychologist at the University of Oregon, human attention operates through two distinct systems. The first is executive attention, which describes the conscious ability to concentrate on a single task. The second is the orienting system, an evolutionarily developed response driven by environmental changes—such as unexpected sounds or sudden light shifts—designed to alert humans to potential hazards.
Gloria Mark, an attention researcher at the University of California, Irvine, noted that the human brain cannot consciously focus on multiple complex tasks at once. Instead, it rapidly switches between tasks—a process known as multitasking—which increases error rates and extends completion times due to cognitive re-orienting costs.
Optimizing personal focus rhythms
Research indicates that cognitive focus follows daily peaks and troughs. On average, individuals experience an initial focus peak in the mid-morning, followed by a post-lunch drop and a secondary peak in the late afternoon, though individual chronotypes vary. Mark advises professionals to reserve their peak cognitive windows for demanding tasks—such as data analysis or technical writing—rather than routine activities like checking emails or attending meetings.
To safeguard these high-focus windows, experts recommend physically removing digital distractions. This includes placing smartphones in another room, inside a drawer, or using timed lockboxes. Additionally, individuals can set digital boundaries by utilizing application blockers such as Freedom or Cold Turkey to restrict access to distracting platforms during work hours.
Rest periods, goal setting, and environmental factors
When focus wanes, cognitive scientists emphasize the necessity of genuine breaks without screen exposure. Stefan van der Stigchel, a cognitive psychologist at Utrecht University, advocates for outdoor walks and stepping away from workstations to recharge cognitive capacity.
Additionally, structured goal setting enhances sustained attention. A 2023 study involving university students in the United States demonstrated that setting specific, challenging, yet attainable goals reduced attention drifts and sustained engagement compared to vague objectives.
Modifying the immediate work environment also supports sustained focus. Visual adjustments—such as reducing visual noise in open-office layouts by closing blinds or integrating indoor plants—can minimize interruptions. Sin-Ae Park, a researcher at Konkuk University in Seoul, noted that interaction with live foliage improves concentration and helps restore mental energy. Furthermore, research indicates that constantly monitoring communication platforms like email, Slack, or Teams increases stress and degrades productivity, leading experts to suggest batch-checking communications at designated intervals during the day rather than leaving platforms continuously open.
Systemic factors and regulatory responses
Experts stress that individual willpower alone is often insufficient against digital architectures designed to capture and hold user engagement. Hari noted that technological design, alongside environmental factors like traffic pollution and dietary health, plays a major role in attention disruption.
In response, several nations have implemented structural policy changes. Countries including Italy, France, and Australia have passed "right to disconnect" legislation protecting employees from monitoring work communications outside official working hours. In March 2024, the European Parliament passed the AI Act to limit mechanisms designed to exploit user attention. Following Australia's December 2025 legislation restricting social media access for minors under 16, at least 18 other nations have implemented or evaluated similar protective regulations for children.
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