When it comes to attention, be 'all in'
News flash: Texting and driving is the new drunk driving, and it isn't just kids. Adults are worse.
More teens die from accidents involving use of phones than of alcohol, according to a study published in the current issue of Pediatrics. Another study reported Monday by USA Today states half of high school students surveyed admit texting while driving.
Before you blame kids, know this: More than half of adults surveyed earlier this year - 7 percent more adults than teens - also admitted the same. Another study by Safe Kids Worldwide found 78 percent of mothers surveyed acknowledged talking on the phone while driving with kids in the car; 26 percent said they text or check email.
This column isn't really about safe driving; it's about our schizoid life. Frenetic vs. focus. Technology is convenient, but we need to get better at managing it, reprioritize so we can experience living again.
We're rarely "all in" any experience anymore. Family dinners, when they happen, are interrupted by texts, calls, or smart phones with Web access. Couples go out and instead of conversing or staring lovingly at each other to renew intimacy, at least one is following a game or checking email. Work concentration - does that exist anymore? - is interrupted constantly by email or text alerts, Facebook chat pop-ups, and inconsiderate coworkers who no longer think twice before stopping by to gab or ask something which likely could wait.
At best we're half-in, perhaps not "in" at all as we multitask and allow our attention to be redirected so easily and so often. We miss out on the full experience, and quality suffers.
Our society has become split-minded, and less concentration and focus means we notice less. We relate to each other less, have less compassion, and are growing more self-centered. We thus observe and understand less. Understanding - whether it's work, another person, or assessing and resolving problems - takes time and comes in layers during focused thought. We're simply bypassing that. This decreased quality of information dumbs us down.
I hear this one often from those who think experience helps: "I'm great at multitasking; I work faster that way."
Studies prove they're not only wrong; the opposite is true. A University of Utah study released in January concluded people who multitask the most (including talking on a phone while driving) are least capable of doing so. Another published in April 2011 by the National Academy of Sciences concluded that such multitasking not only reduces learning and performance, it hinders memory.
Multitasking with screens/multimedia is also depressing - literally. The lead researcher of a Michigan State University study released in December 2012 told Science Daily he was surprised to find "such a clear association" between multimedia multitasking (e.g., playing a computer game while watching TV or using a smart phone) and symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Jim Sollisch, a guest columnist for the Christian Science Monitor's April 8, 2013, issue, writes:
"Going all in isn't about devoting yourself entirely to career... (or) balancing career and home. It's about intensity. Practice the art of passion at work and at home."
He's right. We do waste too much time "going through the motions." We're not "present" and less often do we really hear what someone else is saying, or completely focus on the task at hand to do it well.
If you're multitasking, you're not all in. The shame of this goes beyond less intimacy and compassion in relationships, or even beyond poor work performance. Multitasking this way bypasses that great feeling of satisfaction which results from depth of focus, that sense of accomplishment when one has really done something well. Not to mention the rewards of an emotionally intimate, personal moment with fellow man.
That text can wait.
Life is happening now.
Sholeh Patrick is a neo-luddite and columnist for the Hagadone News Network who will only trade in her fliptop for a smart phone when forced. Contact her at [email protected].