This is entirely anecdotal, and as I have ADHD this may not be the norm; but I have noticed throughout my life so far that my attention span is a product of what I pay attention to.
If I am primarily consuming content to enrich myself or critically analyze something, my attention span tends to be longer for a period of time. Conversely, if I am consuming content to socialize or out of boredom, my attention span shortens significantly.
In both cases, there seems to be a “cooldown period” of at least several days before my attention span reverts to somewhere in the middle. I wonder if others share in this phenomenon and how common it is.
Yeah I, subjectively, have experienced the same. But with the same caveat about having ADHD. What I find more substantial is my stress level correlates with what media I consume. Books, long form writing, or even just any text medium (as opposed to video) tend to be more relaxing and allow me to focus better.
I wonder if stress is the causal mechanism for focus here? Maybe not entirely but a proportion of it.
I think speculation is allowed here since the author was unable to draw substantial conclusions either. But did distill a lot of useful information together.
If I am primarily consuming content to enrich myself or critically analyze something, my attention span tends to be longer for a period of time. Conversely, if I am consuming content to socialize or out of boredom, my attention span shortens significantly.
In both cases, there seems to be a “cooldown period” of at least several days before my attention span reverts to somewhere in the middle. I wonder if others share in this phenomenon and how common it is.