Questions on My Mind about the Psychology of Concentration
- What types of concentration are there? I wonder if there’s a difference between vigilance, attention, discipline, willpower, and self control.
- What environments are built for concentration? Libraries, classrooms…
- How does ideal concentration environment vary from person to person? I wonder why some people find it easier to concentrate in places like coffee shops and others in libraries.
- How does temperature influence concentration? Thinking about people who talk about how ice baths make them more alert.
- How does noise influence concentration? Thinking about how some people require complete silence, whereas others prefer to listen to music when concentrating.
- What happens in the brain during concentration?
- How long does it take to get into a state of concentration?
- How does environmental habituation and novelty influence concentration?
- How does goal salience influence concentration? I wonder if having visual reminders of our goals increases our resolve and leads to a better ability to concentrate.
- Why are some people naturally better at concentrating than others?
- How is concentration a skill? What are concentration strategies? How do people get better at concentration?
- What role does nature vs nurture play in concentration abilities?
- What environments make it easy vs difficult to concentrate?
- How does exercise influence concentration? Thinking about how people claim to be better at concentrating after a workout. I notice that I feel sharper when I’m able to think while pacing or walking.
- How does body position influence concentration? I’ve noticed that sometimes I think better when I lie down on the floor or when I’m standing. Maybe an environment that’s compatible with varying positions makes it easier to concentrate.
Reference Dump
- Parkinson’s law
- Seinfeld - Elaine taking IQ test
- Rory Gilmore meets Dean
- Smallville - Clark learning super hearing
- Billions - Concentration room
- House - Whiteboard problem solving
- In Treatment - In sessions
- Kyle XY - Learning powers
- Lie to Me - Lie detection
- True Blood - Resistance
- Matilda - Learning telekinesis
- Oculus - Vigilance
- Stronger - Learning to walk again
- X-Men - Jean learning power control
- ADHD
A study out of Japan where researchers flashed images of cute baby animals at office workers and tracked their job performance before and after. It showed that looking at cute things increases concentration and focus. Which makes sense considering that cute things prompt a nurturing impulse and nurturing is a focused act.
A similar study by John Heights that showed that if you see pictures of puppies and kittens you then make fewer errors on tasks, which speaks to that nurturing prompt leading to behavioural carefulness.