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In a world of distractions, how do we pay attention?

It seems like every week someone tells us how the internet and the digital age are overloading our brains. Sure, sometimes it feels like we're being fed more information than we can handle, that we're paying attention to the wrong things. Are we giving our brain a fair shot?

I explore some science that show how paying attention can be a bad thing, and then some science about how paying attention can be a very helpful thing

Special cameos by Hank Green and Mike Rugnetta!

Further reading:

The original Simons and Chabris experiment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo

The cocktail party effect: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2013/03/07/173613681/hear-that-in-a-din-of-voices-our-brains-can-tune-to-one

The illusion of attention: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/neurophilosophy/2011/aug/11/neuroscience-psychology

How is the internet changing our brains? (Harold Rheingold and more) http://www.edge.org/q2010/q10_index.html#responses

Sherry Turkle - Alone Together http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.html

Written and hosted by Joe Hanson

Produced by Painted On Productions (http://www.paintedon.com/)

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