‘It explains why our ability to focus has gone to hell’: Screens are assaulting our Stone Age brains with more information than we can handle
Modern technology has fundamentally changed how our ancient minds work.
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We often joke that our attention spans have dropped significantly in recent years with the rise of digital technologies and screen-centric entertainment, but there is sound science to back up this observation. In fact, a shorter attention span is simply one side effect of a recent explosion of screen distractions, as neurologist and author Richard E. Cytowic argues in his new book, “Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age: Coping with Digital Distraction and Sensory Overload” (MIT Press, 2024).