Researchers Say We’re Trapped in a “Cycle of Distraction.” Here’s How to Break Free.

Researchers Say We're Trapped in a 'Cycle of Distraction.' Here's How to Break Free.

An endless cycle of resisting, ruminating, and finally giving in to the desire, perpetuates the cycle of distraction.

For example, many smokers believe it’s the chemical nicotine that causes their cravings. They’re partly right, but also partly wrong.

Many desires can be manipulated, if not completely mitigated, by how you think about your urges.

In order to break the ironic cycle of distraction, you need to think differently about three things.

Going Backwards to Go Forwards

The above is just one example of how sometimes these techniques can appear counterintuitive.

We've talked previously about how daily distractions can be tamed through "precommitments ", making future forays into temptation less likely. But these seemingly backwards-looking methods aren't just limited to Odysseus and his crew.

?Some countries around the world are now trialling "Saving while Spending" schemes , which similarly hack our ever-present unconscious biases, encouraging us to gradually bolster our retirement accounts as we shop for everyday goods.

In a more timely example, this author reflects against the prevailing parenting method that limiting a child's "screen time" may actually be the wrong approach . The author cites projections such as "65% of children entering primary school today will ultimately end up working in completely new job types that don’t yet exist". Perhaps, counterintuitively, more time with the iPad may be a good thing?

Homophily & Memento Mori

Dunbar's Number is the now widely-known idea that the average person can only manage around ~150 meaningful relationships at one time.

Robert Dunbar, the evolutionary psychologist behind the term, has written a new book on friendship, Friends: Understanding the Power of Our Most Important Relationships, which he speaks about with the Atlantic :

?"The book is a timely arrival, as vaccination rollouts and eased social-distancing restrictions spur people to rekindle—or reevaluate—their friendships. I recently spoke with Dunbar about what we can learn about our own friendships from all these numbers, how friendships evolve over the years, and his predictions for post-pandemic social life."

?Rekindling, rethinking and re-evaluation seem to be the themes of the past few months. Finally, this article serves as a beautifully written prompt for this type of reflection. When you view life as something you're returning to, rather than something that has never not been happening, it can feel like a gift.

Happy reading!

- Nir

PS - Thank you for making Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life into bestsellers!

Also, have you heard my my podcast ? New episodes are posted every Monday.?