Human Attention Span Is Now Less Than A Goldfish's: Microsoft Study

With technological overload in your life, your attention span is affected. Microsoft recently published a study using surveys as well as EEG scans to show that the attention span of humans has declined since the beginning of the century.

In the turn of the millennium, people could focus on a task for 12 seconds, however, it reduced to 8 seconds in 2013, which in fact can be easily be beaten by a goldfish.

Most of our attention spans can be beaten by an overload of smartphones as well as content. While young people keep checking their phones, and there is a lot of information that has to be checked out through social networking, new technology has made things too distracting, according to engadget.

The Microsoft researchers studied more than 2,000 Canadians above above 18 years. Recording their brain activity and attention levels, the scientists found that it varied by "screen, task, content type and structure." They monitored 100 people's brains with in-lab monitoring, using electroencephalograms (EEGs), according to huffingtonpost.

Participants of every age and gender seemed to show a decline in their attention span. "Out of the 18 to 24 age group, more than half admit to checking their phone every 30 minutes or less and over three-fourths used their portable devices while watching TV," noted the researchers, according to valuewalk.

"Heavy multi-screeners find it difficult to filter out irrelevant stimuli and they are more easily distracted by multiple streams of media," researchers said.

Still, it is possible to improve your ability to multitask and also focus on activities in brief bursts. While you understand what needs your attention, you also manage to memorise some facts and activities.