tag:theconversation.com,2011:/us/topics/focus-93491/articlesFocus – The Conversation2022-01-04T13:07:30Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1735052022-01-04T13:07:30Z2022-01-04T13:07:30ZWhy does experiencing ‘flow’ feel so good? A communication scientist explains<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438296/original/file-20211218-25-1ktuz4s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=87%2C227%2C2868%2C1623&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows that people who have flow as a regular part of their lives are happier and less likely to focus on themselves.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/winter-holidays-in-ski-resort-royalty-free-image/1280113636?adppopup=true">Yulkapopkova/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>New years often come with new resolutions. Get back in shape. Read more. Make more time for friends and family. My list of resolutions might not look quite the same as yours, but each of our resolutions represents a plan for something new, or at least a little bit different. As you craft your 2022 resolutions, I hope that you will add one that is also on my list: feel more flow.</p>
<p>Psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi’s <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/flow-mihaly-csikszentmihalyi">research on flow</a> started in the 1970s. He has called it the “<a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_flow_the_secret_to_happiness">secret to happiness</a>.” Flow is a state of “optimal experience” that each of us can incorporate into our everyday lives. One characterized by immense joy that makes a life worth living.</p>
<p>In the years since, researchers have gained a vast store of knowledge about what it is like to be in flow and how experiencing it is important for our overall mental health and well-being. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53468-4_1">In short</a>, we are completely absorbed in a highly rewarding activity – and not in our inner monologues – when we feel flow. </p>
<p>I am an <a href="https://communication.ucdavis.edu/people/rwhuskey">assistant professor of communication and cognitive science</a>, and I have been studying flow for the last 10 years. My <a href="https://cogcommscience.com/">research lab</a> investigates what is happening in our brains when people experience flow. Our goal is to better understand how the experience happens and to make it easier for people to feel flow and its benefits.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man paints on canvas in a studio." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438884/original/file-20211222-21-jswvjh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flow can arise when playing games or engaged in artistic pursuits, like writing, photography, sculpting and painting.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/young-asian-male-woman-paint-drawing-acrylic-color-royalty-free-image/1314904308?adppopup=true">Somyot Techapuwapat/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What it is like to be in flow?</h2>
<p>People often say flow is like “being in the zone.” Psychologists Jeanne Nakamura and Csíkszentmihályi <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_16">describe it</a> as something more. When people feel flow, they are in a state of intense concentration. Their thoughts are focused on an experience rather than on themselves. They lose a sense of time and feel as if there is a merging of their actions and their awareness. That they have control over the situation. That the experience is not physically or mentally taxing.</p>
<p>Most importantly, flow is what researchers call an autotelic experience. Autotelic derives from two Greek words: autos (self) and telos (end or goal). Autotelic experiences are things that are worth doing in and of themselves. Researchers sometimes call these intrinsically rewarding experiences. Flow experiences are intrinsically rewarding.</p>
<h2>What causes flow?</h2>
<p>Flow occurs when a task’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9088-8_16">challenge is balanced with one’s skill</a>. In fact, both the task challenge and skill level have to be high. I often tell my students that they will not feel flow when they are doing the dishes. Most people are highly skilled dishwashers, and washing dishes is not a very challenging task.</p>
<p>So when do people experience flow? Csíkszentmihályi’s <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Beyond+Boredom+and+Anxiety%3A+Experiencing+Flow+in+Work+and+Play%2C+25th+Anniversary+Edition-p-9780787951405">research in the 1970s</a> focused on people doing tasks they enjoyed. He studied swimmers, music composers, chess players, dancers, mountain climbers and other athletes. He went on to study how people can find flow in more <a href="https://www.basicbooks.com/titles/mihaly-csikszentmihalhi/finding-flow/9780465024117/">everyday experiences</a>. I am an avid snowboarder, and I regularly feel flow on the mountain. Other people feel it by practicing yoga – not me, unfortunately! – by riding their bike, cooking or going for a run. So long as that task’s challenge is high, and so are your skills, you should be able to achieve flow.</p>
<p>Researchers also know that people can experience flow by using <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2004.tb00318.x">interactive media</a>, like <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167207310026">playing a video game</a>. In fact, <a href="https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Beyond+Boredom+and+Anxiety%3A+Experiencing+Flow+in+Work+and+Play%2C+25th+Anniversary+Edition-p-9780787951405">Csíkszentmihályi said</a> that “games are obvious flow activities, and play is the flow experience par excellence.” <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/305501/reality-is-broken-by-jane-mcgonigal/">Video game developers</a> are very familiar with the idea, and they think hard about how to <a href="https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/theory-of-fun/9781449363208/">design games so that players feel flow</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Diagram of the relationship between difficulty of a challenge, skill level and the experience of flow." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/439289/original/file-20220104-19-82f3iv.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Flow occurs when a task’s challenge – and one’s skills at the task – are both high.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Adapted from Nakamura/Csíkszentmihályi</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Why is it good to feel flow?</h2>
<p>Earlier I said that Csíkszentmihályi called flow “the secret to happiness.” Why is that? For one thing, the experience can help people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1521/soco.2021.39.4.526">pursue their long-term goals</a>. This is because research shows that taking a break to do something fun can help enhance one’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167220941998">self-control, goal pursuit and well-being</a>. </p>
<p>So next time you are feeling like a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12107">guilty couch potato</a> for playing a video game, remind yourself that you are actually doing something that can help set you up for long-term success and well-being. Importantly, quality – and not necessarily quantity – matters. Research shows that spending a lot of time playing video games only has a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.202049">very small influence</a> on your overall well-being. Focus on finding games that help you feel flow, rather than on spending more time playing games.</p>
<p>A recent study also shows that flow helps people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.005">stay resilient</a> in the face of adversity. Part of this is because flow can help <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000479">refocus thoughts</a> away from something stressful to something enjoyable. In fact, studies have shown that experiencing flow can help guard against <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.09.017">depression and burnout</a>.</p>
<p>Research also shows that people who experienced <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0242043">stronger feelings of flow had better well-being</a> during the COVID-19 quarantine compared to people who had weaker experiences. This might be because feeling flow helped distract them from worrying. </p>
<h2>What is your brain doing during flow?</h2>
<p>Researchers have been studying flow for nearly 50 years, but only recently have they begun to decipher what is going on in the brain during flow. One of my colleagues, media neuroscientist René Weber, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2009.01352.x">has proposed</a> that flow is associated with a specific brain-network configuration. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.pbr.2017.06.012">Supporting Weber’s hypothesis</a>, studies show that the experience is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2013.08.019">activity in brain structures</a> implicated in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsr021">feeling reward</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsv133">pursuing our goals</a>. This may be one reason why flow feels so enjoyable and why people are so focused on tasks that make them feel flow. Research also shows that flow is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2016.00169">decreased activity</a> in brain structures implicated in self-focus. This may help explain why feeling flow can help distract people from worry.</p>
<p>[<em>Get the best of The Conversation, every weekend.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=weekly&source=inline-weeklybest">Sign up for our weekly newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p><a href="https://www.medianeuroscience.org/">Weber</a>, <a href="https://www.jacobtfisher.com/">Jacob Fisher</a> and I have developed a video game called <a href="https://github.com/asteroidimpact/asteroid_impact_py3">Asteroid Impact</a> to help us better study flow. In my own research, I have participants <a href="https://doi.org/10.3758/s13415-018-0612-6">play Asteroid Impact</a> while having their brain scanned. My work has shown that flow is associated with a specific brain network configuration that has <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqy043">low energy requirements</a>. This may help explain why we do not experience flow as being physically or mentally demanding. I have also shown that, instead of maintaining one stable network configuration, the brain actually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqab044">changes its network configuration</a> during flow. This is important because <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.3470">rapid brain network reconfiguration</a> helps people adapt to difficult tasks.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Asteroid Impact" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=337&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/438518/original/file-20211220-18663-1qo5axk.gif?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=423&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A player controls a spaceship to collect crystals and avoid asteroids in a video game called Asteroid Impact.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Jacob Fisher via https://github.com/asteroidimpact/asteroid_impact_py3</span></span>
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<h2>What more can the brain tell us?</h2>
<p>Right now, researchers do not know how brain responses associated with flow contribute to well-being. With very <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-018-5378-0">few exceptions</a>, there is almost no research on how brain responses actually cause flow. Every neuroscience study I described earlier was correlational, not causal. Said differently, we can conclude that these brain responses are associated with flow. We cannot conclude that these brain responses cause flow.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.05.005">Researchers think</a> the connection between flow and well-being has something to do with three things: suppressing brain activation in structures associated with thinking about ourselves, dampening activation in structures associated with negative thoughts, and increasing activation in reward-processing regions.</p>
<p>I’d argue that testing this hypothesis is vital. Medical professionals have started to use video games in <a href="https://www.akiliinteractive.com/">clinical applications</a> to help treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Maybe one day a clinician will be able to help prescribe a Food and Drug Adminstration-approved video game to help bolster someone’s resilience or help them fight off depression. </p>
<p>That is probably several years into the future, <a href="https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/8cxyh">if it is even possible at all</a>. Right now, I hope that you will resolve to find more flow in your everyday life. You may find that this helps you achieve your other resolutions, too.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/173505/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Huskey does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Research shows that people with more flow in their lives had a higher sense of well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists are beginning to explore what happens in the brain during flow.Richard Huskey, Assistant Professor of Communication and Cognitive Science, University of California, DavisLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1701792021-10-25T12:34:20Z2021-10-25T12:34:20ZWhat causes ADHD and can it be cured?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427619/original/file-20211020-19033-1mqhonn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=70%2C70%2C6639%2C4094&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">On average, two students in every U.S. classroom have ADHD.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/bored-young-school-girl-studying-at-home-royalty-free-image/1291247838?adppopup=true"> damircudic/E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-left ">
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<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/curious-kids-us-74795">Curious Kids</a> is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">curiouskidsus@theconversation.com</a>.</em></p>
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<blockquote>
<p><strong>What causes ADHD and can it be cured? – Geneva B., age 17, Philippines</strong></p>
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<hr>
<p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html">Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder</a> is a common, yet <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/adhd/Pages/Myths-and-Misconceptions.aspx">often misunderstood</a>, mental health condition.</p>
<p>Symptoms include <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219412464350">inattention, overactivity and impulsivity</a> – behaviors everyone experiences at one time or another. For people with ADHD, these behaviors happen frequently and interfere with everyday life at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-2528">school, at home and everywhere else</a>.</p>
<p>ADHD affects more than <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html">6 million U.S. children</a>. People who have ADHD <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1176%2Fappi.ajp.2009.09060796">develop symptoms by age 12</a>, and it usually <a href="https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-2528">continues into adolescence and young adulthood</a>. The condition can affect people throughout their whole life.</p>
<p>On average, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2017.1417860">two students in every U.S. classroom</a> have it. It is important to note that ADHD is just one way of defining a person’s behavior. It has nothing to do with how smart you are or whether you can make friends or excel at sports, music or art, or about any other strengths.</p>
<h2>What does and doesn’t cause ADHD</h2>
<p>Nobody really knows exactly what causes ADHD. Scientists think that <a href="https://www.additudemag.com/is-adhd-hereditary-yes-and-no/">genes may play a role</a>, but no one knows exactly how at this point. Based on years of research findings, scientists attribute this condition to a combination of how someone’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-devpsych-060320-093413">brain works and their personal environment</a>. </p>
<p>Research has cast more light on what does not cause ADHD. For example, findings do not support the widespread theories that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.051">excessive sugar</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1611611114">too much time on electronics</a> are responsible for <a href="https://doi.org/10.2165/00023210-200216020-00005">growth in the number of children diagnosed</a> with the condition since 1990 – when it was detected in less than 2% of all U.S. children.</p>
<p>Today, at least <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/data.html">9.4% of kids</a> have this diagnosis. Based on <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BRXERkMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">all the research I’ve conducted</a> and the other findings I’ve reviewed, I think this increase is caused by <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/adhd/timeline.html">better identification and more awareness of ADHD in general</a>, rather than an overall increase in ADHD. </p>
<p>How parents interact with their child, likewise, does not cause ADHD. But children and adolescents with ADHD have many behaviors that require more parental involvement than their peers. </p>
<h2>Changing behaviors as therapy</h2>
<p>Most psychologists think about ADHD as a characteristic that, like eye color or height, <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/144/4/e20192528">can’t be changed</a>. Doctors can’t cure ADHD, just like they can’t double the length of your legs. </p>
<p>If someone had a hard time reaching a high shelf, would you tell them they just need to be taller? Of course not. But you could suggest they use a stepladder. </p>
<p>The good news is there are ways that people with ADHD can overcome the challenges this condition brings. Evidence supports two distinct kinds of treatments.</p>
<p>Behavioral therapy is typically implemented by <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/fulltext/2013-08376-003.pdf">parents and teachers working together</a>. It includes setting clear goals and giving feedback on progress toward those goals, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0014402917706370">usually on a daily basis</a>. Another feature is providing rewards or privileges when people with ADHD meet their goals.</p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211025092">Among the most effective treatments</a> is teaching parents how to pay more attention when their children do their schoolwork and chores and generally behave well. Parents and teachers can help kids by “<a href="https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/family-resources-education/health-wellness-and-safety-resources/helping-hands/behavioral-support-catching-your-child-being-good">catching them being good</a>” – rather than through correction and punishment. As they get older, children and teens with ADHD can set goals for themselves and work hard to <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/ccp0000057">learn ways to keep organized and manage their day</a>. </p>
<p>Behavioral therapy makes a difference because ADHD works like a light operated by a dimmer switch. Rather than simply being turned on or off, it can be turned up to a bright level or dialed down to a faint glimmer. ADHD symptoms, similarly, can increase or decrease in response to particular situations and interactions.</p>
<h2>Medications can help</h2>
<p>Prescription <a href="https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd">stimulant drugs</a>, such as <a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/11766-attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder-adhd-stimulant-therapy">Adderall and Ritalin</a>, can help many people with ADHD focus longer. Like with all medications, however, some people can’t take them due to <a href="https://www.understood.org/articles/en/adhd-medication">side effects</a>. Some <a href="https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/144/4/e20192528">nonstimulant drugs</a> are available, but they generally are less effective.</p>
<p>Researchers have found that the best approach is when <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/15374416.2015.1105138">behavior therapy begins first</a>, especially <a href="https://chadd.org/adhd-weekly/cdc-recommends-behavior-therapy-as-first-line-of-treatment-for-young-children-with-adhd/">for young children with ADHD</a>. </p>
<p>ADHD can hinder big transitions. In childhood and young adulthood, that includes <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1037%2Fccp0000106">starting middle school or high school</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbpra.2010.04.002">learning to drive</a>, <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2021-10914-003">going to college</a> or <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10567-019-00274-4">entering the workforce</a>. I believe that extra attention and treatment are usually required at those times. </p>
<p><a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BRXERkMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Many years of research</a> have led me to believe people with ADHD can be successful in the long run when they, their families and their teachers work as hard as is necessary to build skills and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1207/s15374424jccp3503_3">change behavior patterns that complicate everyday life</a>. It also helps when they get that support for as long as is needed.</p>
<hr>
<p><em>Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to <a href="mailto:curiouskidsus@theconversation.com">CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com</a>. Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.</em></p>
<p><em>And since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170179/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gregory Fabiano has led projects in the last three years that have received research funding from the Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Adlon Therapeutics. He has received royalty payments for published books from Guilford Publications and consultant payments from FastBridge/Illuminate. </span></em></p>Even when the condition lasts a lifetime, there are behavioral treatments and prescription drugs that make it easier for people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder to thrive.Gregory Fabiano, Professor of Psychology, Florida International UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1645362021-07-23T12:15:25Z2021-07-23T12:15:25ZA winning edge for the Olympics and everyday life: Focusing on what you’re trying to accomplish rather than what’s going on with your body<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412756/original/file-20210722-13-1s2pyjg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=87%2C554%2C4116%2C2831&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Athletes' game-time concentration is legendary – but what should they be focusing on?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/germanys-defender-benjamin-henrichs-and-brazils-midfielder-news-photo/1234108664">Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>How do you get to the Olympics? Practice, practice, practice … but also know what to concentrate on during the heat of competition.</p>
<p>How fast someone runs, swims or rows; how high or long they jump; how accurately they hit a target; how well they balance; or how much weight they can lift depends to a significant extent on where they focus their attention.</p>
<p>I’m a sport scientist who for decades has <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=66RHFowAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">studied how people learn motor skills</a>. In the late 1990s I began examining how a performer’s <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20037032/">focus of attention</a> influences learning. </p>
<p>Research suggests that what an athlete concentrates on can be the difference between winning the gold and not even making the team. What might be surprising is that shifting your focus from within yourself – what’s going on in your body – to what’s out there – what you’re trying to accomplish – is a winning strategy.</p>
<h2>An athlete’s brain is busy</h2>
<p>Consider what the brain needs to do to organize complex movements.</p>
<p>It must coordinate the contractions of the necessary muscles – ensuring that they happen at the right time, for the proper duration, and with the required intensity. It also must inhibit other muscles, basically telling those not involved in the movement to stay on the sidelines for the moment.</p>
<p>Temporary task-specific connections among relevant brain networks are a precondition for smooth, efficient and precise movements. The functional <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0077764">connectivity</a> of certain brain areas and the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2007.01.003">suppression</a> of other areas enable an athlete to produce elegant jump shots, tennis strokes, golf swings or tumbling routines.</p>
<p>Learning to produce effective brain activation patterns is a long-term process, of course. Achieving a skill level at which performance is consistently accurate, automatic, fluent and economical requires considerable practice. Athletes hone their skills over many years or even decades.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, at the moment they perform, their focus of attention plays a critical role. If athletes have the wrong focus, their performance will suffer.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412757/original/file-20210722-25-p8zm52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="female archer pulls back the bowstring" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412757/original/file-20210722-25-p8zm52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412757/original/file-20210722-25-p8zm52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412757/original/file-20210722-25-p8zm52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412757/original/file-20210722-25-p8zm52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412757/original/file-20210722-25-p8zm52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412757/original/file-20210722-25-p8zm52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412757/original/file-20210722-25-p8zm52.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Thinking of how the arrow will fly into the target yields better results than thinking about how your hand should grip the bow.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/in-this-handout-image-provided-by-the-world-archery-news-photo/1233565513">Dean Alberga/Handout/World Archery Federation via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Where to target your focus</h2>
<p>Based on the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/1750984X.2012.723728">findings of numerous studies</a>, it’s clear athletes should never concentrate on their own movements – what movement scientists call an internal focus of attention.</p>
<p>This might seem contradictory to the way many people learn a new sport. After all, those who instruct others in the process of acquiring movement skills typically refer to body movements. Think of a coach telling a young basketball player to flick her wrist while shooting the ball, or a golf coach telling a player to focus on his hip rotation. Consequently, athletes think about how to move their body parts, particularly in the early stages of learning. </p>
<p>But surveys have found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.12678/1089-313X.20.1.23">even experienced athletes often focus internally</a>. Especially when they’re under pressure – as they would be during competition – they tend to concentrate on their movements. Often, the result is that they “choke.”</p>
<p>Instead, for <a href="https://doi.org/10.3758/s13423-015-0999-9">optimal performance</a>, the focus should be on the movement goal. This is called an external focus of attention.</p>
<p>It can mean concentrating on a target to be hit, such as the corner of a goal, a golf hole, a bull’s-eye or a catcher’s mitt. It can also be the intended motion or trajectory of an implement such as a javelin, discus or barbell; the desired spin of a ball; the force exerted against an apparatus or piece of equipment, the floor or an opponent; the water being pushed back in swimming or rowing; or the finish line in a race.</p>
<p>What it is not is the hand releasing the object or pulling the water back, the muscles producing the force, or the speed of leg movements.</p>
<h2>More efficient to focus on what than how</h2>
<p>Focusing on the intended outcome of your actions, rather than your body movements, reveals the body’s remarkable capability to produce effective and efficient movements. Even <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/jmld/1/1/article-p2.xml">movement form</a> or <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640414.2015.1012102?journalCode=rjsp20">technique</a> often improves immediately when a person switches from an internal to an external focus of attention. The body does what it has to do to complete the action – unless you interfere via conscious attempts to control your movements.</p>
<p>Researchers have noted the effects of an external focus on many aspects of performance: improved movement <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10413200902795323">accuracy</a>, enhanced <a href="https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/67983/1/jhse_Vol_12_N_2_463-479.pdf">balance</a>, greater <a href="https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001194">maximum forces</a>, higher <a href="https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.5.4.533">speed</a> and better <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2011.10599779">endurance</a>.</p>
<p>With an external focus, movements are more efficient. Because brain and muscle activity are optimized, the resulting movements are produced with less energy. This is seen, for example, in <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19787539/">reduced oxygen uptake</a> or <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2013-03359-002">lower heart rates</a> for the same physical work when performers adopt an external focus.</p>
<p>Researchers have quantified just how much of an edge this focus shift can provide to athletes. With an external focus:</p>
<ul>
<li>The same <a href="https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.6.1.99">swimmers swam 1.4% faster</a> over the length of a 25-yard pool.</li>
<li>Resistance-trained individuals produced <a href="https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000001194">9% greater maximal forces</a>, or were able to complete <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2011.10599779">11.4% more repetitions</a> with the same weight.</li>
<li>Boxers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2016.1175651">punched 4% faster and 5% more forcefully</a>.</li>
<li>Runners needed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02640410903150467">9.5% less oxygen for the same running speed and distance</a>.</li>
<li>Kayakers completed a 100-meter wildwater sprint <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2020.102708">4.3% (or 1.3 seconds) faster</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Considering that races are often won or lost by very small margins, sometimes in the range of hundredths of a second, an athlete’s focus of attention can determine whether or not they win a medal. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412758/original/file-20210722-17-1p60ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="older man leans in and looks at his hands on the piano keyboard" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412758/original/file-20210722-17-1p60ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/412758/original/file-20210722-17-1p60ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412758/original/file-20210722-17-1p60ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412758/original/file-20210722-17-1p60ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412758/original/file-20210722-17-1p60ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412758/original/file-20210722-17-1p60ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/412758/original/file-20210722-17-1p60ge.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=502&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Don’t overthink it – let your hands do what they know how to do.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/the-elderly-man-enjoy-playing-piano-at-home-royalty-free-image/1191366938">Nitat Termmee/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Plenty of benefits beyond Olympic stadium</h2>
<p>While most people will never be Olympians, an external focus provides benefits regardless of the performer’s level of expertise, age or (dis)ability, or the type of skill.</p>
<p>[<em>Over 100,000 readers rely on The Conversation’s newsletter to understand the world.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=100Ksignup">Sign up today</a>.]</p>
<p>Whether you are learning to play a musical instrument or are an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0022429418801573">experienced musician</a>, an external focus will result in better performance. Whether you are an older adult with <a href="https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20080045">Parkinson’s disease</a> or a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2019.1626489">young healthy adult</a>, your balance will be enhanced by an external focus. Whether you are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcomdis.2013.02.002">unimpaired</a> or had a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0269215513513963">stroke</a>, you will perform <a href="https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.56.4.380">activities of daily living</a> more effectively with an external focus.</p>
<p>It turns out your body can more masterfully execute the actions you desire if you’re able to move your conscious focus from what your body is doing and instead think about what you want to accomplish.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/164536/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Gabriele Wulf does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A researcher who studies physical skills explains how getting your conscious thoughts out of the way lets your body do what it knows how to do, better.Gabriele Wulf, Distinguished Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences, University of Nevada, Las VegasLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1587462021-05-07T12:44:58Z2021-05-07T12:44:58ZPopping toys, the latest fidget craze, might reduce stress for adults and children alike<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/398729/original/file-20210504-23-va72wt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C5974%2C3988&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Popping toys like this one can relieve stress and anxiety and are just plain fun.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/cute-faceless-child-playing-pop-fidget-1948671091">Inna Reznik/Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The newest fidget craze is popping toys. Adults and kids <a href="https://www.bountyparents.com.au/news-views/pop-it-fidget-toy-craze/">all over the world</a> have been <a href="https://www.newsday.com/lifestyle/family/popping-toys-long-island-1.50198045">buying up</a> this endlessly reusable version of a longtime favorite fidget activity: popping bubble wrap. Made of silicone and coming in a range of colors, shapes and sizes, they are half-sphere “bubbles” that can be pushed in, making a satisfying soft popping sound. After “popping” them all, you can turn the toy over and start again from the other side. </p>
<p>Some might remember the <a href="https://theconversation.com/fidget-toys-arent-just-hype-77456">fidget spinner craze of 2017</a> and the controversy that these devices caused, with some teachers even <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/06/01/schools-are-banning-fidget-spinners-calling-them-nuisances-and-even-dangerous/">banning them from classrooms</a>. Popping toys raise the perennial question of whether and when fidget toys might be useful. Are they a nuisance? Or could having them help you or your children manage <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/09/us/quarantine-mental-health-gender.html">pandemic stress and fuzzy thinking</a>? </p>
<p>Over the past several years, <a href="https://setlab.soe.ucsc.edu/people.php">my research group</a> has taken a deep look at <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3196709.3196790">how children</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2971485.2971557">and adults</a> use fidget toys and objects. What we found tells us that these items are not <a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-behind-the-fidget-spinner-fad-77140">a fad that will soon disappear</a>. Despite sometimes being <a href="http://www.npr.org/2017/05/14/527988954/whirring-purring-fidget-spinners-provide-entertainment-not-adhd-help">annoying distractions for others</a>, fidget items seem to have practical uses for both adults and children, especially in stressful times.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1367587881414324229"}"></div></p>
<h2>Understanding fidgeting</h2>
<p>Fidgeting didn’t start with the popping toy and spinner crazes. If you’ve ever clicked a ballpoint pen again and again, you’ve used a fidget item. As part of our work, we’ve asked people what items they like to fidget with and how and when they use them. (We’ve been <a href="http://fidgetwidgets.tumblr.com">compiling their answers online</a> and welcome <a href="http://fidgetwidgets.tumblr.com/submit">additional contributions</a>.)</p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="silver and black USB thumb drive facing upwards" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399282/original/file-20210506-17-14q6ps6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399282/original/file-20210506-17-14q6ps6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399282/original/file-20210506-17-14q6ps6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399282/original/file-20210506-17-14q6ps6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=900&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399282/original/file-20210506-17-14q6ps6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399282/original/file-20210506-17-14q6ps6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399282/original/file-20210506-17-14q6ps6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1131&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People report using USB thumb drives as fidget items.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/flash-drive-closeup-on-white-background-royalty-free-image/1251951463">Yevgen Romanenko/Moment via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People often report that fidgeting with an object in their hand helps them stay focused when doing a long task or keeping still and attentive in a long meeting. Objects people fidget with include paper clips, USB thumb drives, earbuds and sticky tape. But people also buy specialized items such as a popping toys for this purpose.</p>
<h2>Fine-tuning for focus</h2>
<p>Psychology research about sensation seeking tells us that people often try to adjust their experiences and their environments so that they provide <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Sensation-Seeking-Psychology-Revivals-Beyond-the-Optimal-Level-of-Arousal/Zuckerman/p/book/9781315755496">just the right level of stimulation</a>. Different people function well under different circumstances. Some like total quiet to help them focus, while others are happiest working in a busy, noisy environment. </p>
<p>The optimal level of stimulation varies <a href="https://www.steelcase.com/insights/articles/quiet-ones/">among people</a> and can change for one person throughout the course of a day <a href="https://www.brainscape.com/blog/2015/07/noise-can-help-you-study/">depending on what they are trying to do</a>. People fine-tune their environments to get things just right – for example, <a href="https://www.15five.com/blog/getting-sht-done-in-an-open-office/">putting on headphones in a noisy office environment</a> to switch to less distracting noise.</p>
<p>A person who can’t get up and walk around to feel more energized or go have a cup of tea to calm down may find it helpful to use a fidget item to stay focused and calm while also staying put.</p>
<p>Another common reason for fidgeting that we saw among adults in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/2971485.2971557">our online study</a> is that some fidget objects – such as a favorite smooth stone – can be used to calm them down and achieve a more relaxed, contemplative or even mindful state. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3196709.3196790">Children also</a> spoke about how fidget items help them manage emotions. For example, they might squeeze a stress ball when they feel angry, or they might stroke a soft, fuzzy toy when they are anxious.</p>
<h2>Relieving anxiety, focusing attention</h2>
<p>The self-reported data we got from adults and children aligns with <a href="https://www.brainbalancecenters.com/blog/2014/11/fidgeting-strategies-for-kids-with-neurodevelopmental-disorder/">anecdotal accounts</a> that fidget toys can help children with attention or anxiety issues stay focused and calm in the classroom. In fact, fidget toys have been <a href="https://www.therapyshoppe.com/category/8-fidget-toys">available for kids</a> to use for therapeutic purposes for quite some time. </p>
<p>There hasn’t yet been a definitive research study about the impact of these toys. In one <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ853381">preliminary study</a> looking at stress ball use, sixth graders who used these fidget toys during instruction independently reported that their “attitude, attention, writing abilities, and peer interaction improved.” </p>
<p>The closest significant research is a study by <a href="https://mindbrain.ucdavis.edu/people/jschweit">University of California, Davis behavioral science professor Julie Schweitzer</a> of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09297049.2015.1044511">letting children with ADHD fidget</a> – wriggle, bounce or otherwise move gently in place – while they work on a lab-based concentration task called the “<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.3758/BF03192844">flanker paradigm</a>.” She found that more overall movement in children with ADHD, as measured using an accelerometer on the ankle, did help them perform this cognitively demanding task. After I learned about her research, I approached Schweitzer to join forces, and we’re currently <a href="https://news.ucsc.edu/2020/07/fidget-ball.html">collaborating on the first rigorous study of the effects of fidget objects on people with ADHD</a>, with support from the National Institutes of Health. We aim to better understand how using fidget toys may support people’s cognition. </p>
<p>To do this, my team built a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3290607.3313015">“smart” fidget ball</a> that senses when and how it’s used. Schweitzer’s team is tracking exactly when study participants fidget as they work, and how this correlates with changes in their performance on challenging thinking tasks. (If you happen to live in the Northern California Bay Area, <a href="https://bit.ly/3gZ7vq7">you can apply to take part in the study</a>.)</p>
<p>My group is also working with specialists in children’s social-emotional learning and technology, including <a href="https://www.kcl.ac.uk/people/petr-slovak">Petr Slovak of King’s College London</a>, to understand whether and how giving kids a “smart” fidget item that can respond to their touch might help calm them down and improve their self-soothing skills. We built a small “anxious creature” that children could hug and pet to calm it down. The creature begins with a fast heartbeat and then settles into happy purring once it is soothed. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1145/3274429">Early</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.2196/14029">results</a> are promising and have recently been applied by commercial product developers to create <a href="https://www.purrble.com/">an interactive toy for calming kids</a>.
(I served briefly as a paid consultant on the toy’s initial research and development but have no ongoing financial stake.)</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="arms of a child wearing camo sweatshirt and holding a white fidget spinner at a school desk with pencil, eraser and green fidget spinner on desk in background" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399290/original/file-20210506-13-1586bxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399290/original/file-20210506-13-1586bxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399290/original/file-20210506-13-1586bxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399290/original/file-20210506-13-1586bxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399290/original/file-20210506-13-1586bxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399290/original/file-20210506-13-1586bxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399290/original/file-20210506-13-1586bxc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fidget spinners can be helpful and sometimes distracting in classrooms.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/6th-grade-girl-using-fidget-spinner-wellsville-new-york-usa-news-photo/929067606">Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Avoiding distraction</h2>
<p>If fidget items are so helpful, why were <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fidget-spinners-banned-from-top-high-schools-2017-5">schools banning the spinners</a>, and why did <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/fidget-spinners-are-being-banned-from-classrooms-2017-5">teachers take them away</a>? Not all fidget items are created equal. Some are more distracting than others. The fidget items most therapists recommend can be used without looking and don’t attract other people’s attention too much with motion or noise. Fidget-spinner motion distracted other kids in classrooms. </p>
<p>Popping toys don’t have movement that attracts others’ eyes, but they do make some noise. Kids in our study reported that noise was a reason they got fidget toys taken away in class. For this reason, popping toys might not be as welcome as the world slowly returns to more in-person learning. But they might be great for kids (or adults) who can hit the mute button in online school and meetings. </p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=youresmart">You can read us daily by subscribing to our newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Though research is still ongoing, therapists’ practical experience and both adults’ and kids’ self-reflections suggest that fidget toys can be helpful for emotional and cognitive support. There may actually be some benefits in getting yourself or your child a fidget toy to power you through a wall of boring Zoom meetings or a stressful school day.</p>
<p><em>This is an updated version of <a href="https://theconversation.com/fidget-toys-arent-just-hype-77456">an article</a> originally published on May 17, 2017.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/158746/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Katherine Isbister has received gift funding in the past from Committee for Children, a non-profit, to support her research on smart fidgets, and currently has support from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research into the efficacy of fidgeting devices. Isbister received consulting funds to transfer knowledge from her research team's basic research to aid in the design and development of the Purrble device, but has no financial stake in that product. </span></em></p>Though research is still ongoing, therapists’ practical experience and adults’ and kids’ self-reflections suggest that fidget toys can be helpful for emotional and cognitive support.Katherine Isbister, Professor of Computational Media, University of California, Santa CruzLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1423292020-10-16T11:45:02Z2020-10-16T11:45:02ZAttention! How successful golfers stay focused on those crucial shots<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363693/original/file-20201015-19-10h3agv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=82%2C0%2C4166%2C2828&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Even shots that look easy need proper concentration.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/woman-golf-player-crouching-study-green-279631133">Otmar W/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sporting history is <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/snatching-defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory-famous-sporting-collapses-6391115.html">littered</a> with tales of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. Famously, the US golfer <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/14/doug-sanders-obituary">Doug Sanders</a> was a three-foot putt away from winning the 1970 Open Championship in St Andrews. He missed. Not only did it lose him the championship, it cost him several sponsorship and endorsement deals too.</p>
<p>Sanders later <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/sanders-reflects-on-a-missed-putt-and-missed-boats-1.102514">recalled</a> that he missed the crucial shot because he was wondering where to bow first when he’d won. The golfer failed to direct his attention to the information that mattered most before he took his shot. His mind had wandered. Sanders was no longer concentrating on what he needed to do to sink his putt.</p>
<p>The mechanism that helps us to realise the mind has wandered has become an area of interest in the field of sports psychology because it is the process which enables athletes to re-focus their attention. If they are aware of – and listen to – this mechanism, they are less likely to succumb to distractions. Crucially, having this knowledge and awareness means psychologists, athletes and coaches can put into place interventions to take control of attention, enabling a player to concentrate on the information that is most relevant.</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/tsp/34/1/article-p11.xml">research</a> over the last four years has sought to understand what enables concentration in sport. In particular we examined golfers’ beliefs, knowledge and understanding of their own ability to focus to explain the processes behind concentration.</p>
<p>We specifically chose this sport because golfers normally experience changes in their concentration before, after and between shots. This means the game provides a useful lens to examine the processes that enable the focusing and re-focusing of attention.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/grg392F2_P8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<h2>In the spotlight</h2>
<p>Our research revealed that this attention-alerting mechanism can be understood as an ongoing process called “meta-attention”, which has its origins in educational psychology but is also considered <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781315784946">relevant to sport</a>. Meta-attention simply means the awareness, knowledge and control of attention – the mechanism that reminds us to pay attention to what we believe is most important in any given situation.</p>
<p>If we picture our attention as a spotlight – one that can shine not just outwards to our environment, but inwards into our own minds – meta-attention is the awareness of where the spotlight is shining and what we do to direct its beam. </p>
<p>But while we have awareness of how attention may operate, like the spotlight, it is only recently that research has looked further to understand the mechanisms that may be directing the spotlight. In particular, our study has developed a theory to understand the processes that can help divert a spotlight, uncovering the mechanisms that underlie concentration.</p>
<p>To understand what golfers know about attention, I interviewed eight elite golfers. These revealed how golfers evaluated the resources they needed for the shot they were taking, such as a past experience, then put in place a plan which was followed by a consistent pre-shot routine. This might entail creating a mental image of where the player wants the ball to go while performing practice swings for example. </p>
<p>Afterwards, the golfers explained, they would run though their post-shot routine where they reflected on the outcome of the shot. Then they would switch off, directing their spotlight to less relevant thoughts, like a drink at the bar.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Golfer taking a shot on a beautiful course on a sunny blue-sky day." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363724/original/file-20201015-21-14qoyjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/363724/original/file-20201015-21-14qoyjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363724/original/file-20201015-21-14qoyjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363724/original/file-20201015-21-14qoyjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363724/original/file-20201015-21-14qoyjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363724/original/file-20201015-21-14qoyjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/363724/original/file-20201015-21-14qoyjv.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Meta-attention is the process which enables players to fully concentrate on taking a shot.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/smiling-african-american-man-cap-sunglasses-666708034">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Golf aloud</h2>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1612197X.2020.1766536?journalCode=rijs20">second study</a> followed on from our original research, examining what meta-attention looks like as it happens during a performance. Here, with club-level golfers, we used a research method called “think aloud”, where every thought and internal speech has to be spoken out loud. Viewing meta-attention in a live performance setting allowed us to examine golfers’ awareness of their attention, including what was illuminated by their attentional spotlight and the strategies they used to direct it.</p>
<p>The results showed that during performance, golfers engaged in the process of meta-attention and used control strategies such as pre-shot routines. Interestingly, furthering established understanding, each golfer did not verbalise drawing on “attention resources” like past experiences, for every shot. Instead it seems this process may be largely automatic, suggesting that golfers are only aware of drawing on attention resources at times when they are most needed. </p>
<p>The study revealed that when golfers did verbalise their attention resources, it tended to be for more challenging shots – reflecting on training experiences prior to a recovery shot from a bunker, for example. In line with our theoretical understanding of meta-attention was the way club-level golfers implemented consistent control strategies – like pre- and post-shot routines – and frequently focused on helpful environmental information such as a clear visual target which could be seen from the tee. </p>
<p>The think aloud findings showed that golfers would often move their spotlight to information that they felt would be most useful to their game throughout performance. In other words, when faced with a challenge, they might consciously look for a similar experience to guide and inform the situation they are facing.</p>
<p>Having awareness of, and acting upon, the information that is highlighted to help players concentrate is key. If golfers perceive their spotlight is not shining on information they believe to be most relevant – like Doug Sanders experienced – then they can initiate control strategies to redirect the spotlight.</p>
<p>Noting some of the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10413200903403216">previous research</a> alongside our own findings, we recommend golfers opt for consistent pre- and post-shot routines when it comes to concentration. In doing so, players have greater control of their attention and are less likely to miss the shot of a lifetime, like the unfortunate Sanders. Once asked if he ever thought of his career-defining miss, the breezy golfer replied: “Only every four or five minutes.”</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142329/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alex Oliver does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>For optimal concentration, players need to cultivate ‘meta-attention’, the mechanism that enables us to refocus our attention when the mind has wandered.Alex Oliver, PhD Psychology Researcher School of Health & Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1449002020-10-05T12:11:47Z2020-10-05T12:11:47ZSome bees are born curious while others are more single-minded – new research hints at how the hive picks which flowers to feast on<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360072/original/file-20200925-22-1oti0ls.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=5%2C17%2C3860%2C2567&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Working together to figure out where to eat.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/honey-beehive-royalty-free-image/183008733">Cheyenne Montgomery/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>When you try to pick a restaurant with a group of friends, how do you decide? Your curious friend wants to try the new place, while your focused friend wants to go to the old faithful. One friend is insistent, while the other is more quiet. Ultimately, the focused vocal friend convinces the group by saying, “I am telling you, this is the best place. It’s a sure thing – we gotta go!”</p>
<p>Just like people, honey bees vary in how they seek out food and communicate where to go. As a biologist, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=lGDvqJ8AAAAJ&hl=en">I study collective behavior</a>, especially how groups make decisions. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1920554117">My colleagues and I have discovered</a> some individual bees are seemingly born with a predetermined foraging style – they can be either focused foragers or curious foragers. Having different approaches to collecting food turns out to be advantageous for large colonies that rely on a changing food landscape. </p>
<h2>Explorers and exploiters</h2>
<p>As animals collect food, they must balance exploring for new food with exploiting already known food sources. Individual animals have to do one or the other, switching between exploring or exploiting. In collectives, like honey bee colonies, foragers can split the work and do both at the same time. </p>
<p>As honey bees forage for nectar and pollen, they learn a lot of information about the flowers they visit, such as their <a href="https://doi-org.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/10.1023/A:1015232608858">smells</a>, <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1536017">colors</a> and <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674418776">locations</a>. Some bees become extremely focused on information associated with food, ignoring any new information – similar to selective attention in humans. Conversely, other bees exhibit a learning behavior marked by curiosity. They are interested in learning about new food sources, not just familiar ones.</p>
<h2>True to type</h2>
<p>My colleagues and I became interested in how bee colonies manage and act on these two types of information. To answer this question, we first figured out how to breed curious bees and focused bees. </p>
<p>We tested female queens and male drones to see if they were curious or focused, and then used artificial insemination to breed a curious queen with a curious drone, and a focused queen with a focused drone. Typically queens mate with 12 to 15 different drones and create genetically diverse workers, so using a single drone helped keep workers genetically uniform.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360070/original/file-20200925-20-j2iqtj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A bowl filled with several hundred bees, all marked with a blue dot on the thorax." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360070/original/file-20200925-20-j2iqtj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360070/original/file-20200925-20-j2iqtj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360070/original/file-20200925-20-j2iqtj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360070/original/file-20200925-20-j2iqtj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360070/original/file-20200925-20-j2iqtj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360070/original/file-20200925-20-j2iqtj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360070/original/file-20200925-20-j2iqtj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">One-day-old curious bees marked blue.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Sebastian Scofield</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Once we had populations of genetically curious and focused bees, we had to verify they would not be influenced by their social environment. We did this by placing bees in colonies of either their own learning type or one with an assortment of learning types. (We kept track of who was who by marking them with paint on their thorax as soon as they were born.) Sure enough, regardless of the social group the bees experienced, they exhibited the same learning behavior we observed in their parents. </p>
<h2>Familiar food versus novel food</h2>
<p>Next, we created colonies of all focused bees, all curious bees or a 50/50 mix of focused and curious bees – then watched how they foraged. </p>
<p>We gave them a choice between two food locations: a familiar, reliable food location that stayed in the same spot for four days or a new food location that changed odor, color and location every day. Both locations contained the same quality and quantity of food. We marked bees on their abdomens as they visited the feeders so we knew which ones they had been to and which ones they were revisiting.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360069/original/file-20200925-20-kytbgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Five bees perched on the edge of a red feeder, sipping nectar." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360069/original/file-20200925-20-kytbgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360069/original/file-20200925-20-kytbgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360069/original/file-20200925-20-kytbgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360069/original/file-20200925-20-kytbgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360069/original/file-20200925-20-kytbgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360069/original/file-20200925-20-kytbgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360069/original/file-20200925-20-kytbgj.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Researchers marked the bees visiting this feeder with yellow.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Chelsea Cook</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>We discovered the focused colony quickly found the familiar food location and exploited that eatery all week, rarely visiting the novel food option.</p>
<p>The curious colony, as expected, visited the novel and the familiar food locations equally, showing no preference. </p>
<p>Interestingly, the 50/50 mixed colony ended up acting more like the focused colony, using the familiar feeder and paying little attention to the novel feeders. We observed the curious bees in the mixed colony shifted their selected behavior by visiting the familiar feeder more than the novel one. Why?</p>
<figure>
<img src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/1222/Waggle.gif?1599767052/">
<figcaption><span class="caption">The bee in the middle communicates the location of food using the waggle dance.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Dancing up a storm</h2>
<p>When honey bees find a good source of food, they use the <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674418776">waggle dance to direct their nest mates</a>. This dance communicates the distance to and direction of a nutritious meal, as well as its perceived quality. When we looked at waggle dance behavior in the 50/50 colony, we saw the focused bees were dancing more intensely – performing 0.59 turns per second, significantly faster than the curious bees’ 0.52 turns per second. Just like your vocal, excited friend, the focused bees attracted more followers, so more bees were recruited to the familiar, reliable feeder.</p>
<p>Because curious bees are interested in everything, including new information about possible food locations, they are perfect listeners and are easily convinced to visit the chosen feeder of their enthusiastic nest mates. </p>
<p>[<em>Deep knowledge, daily.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/the-daily-3?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=deepknowledge">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p>
<p>Our future work will investigate how these foraging dynamics work in a changing food landscape – one where food runs out. If a source is depleted, will the focused bees turn their attention to the curious bees, who already know where other foraging locations are? </p>
<p>This research suggests successful societies make better decisions when members, by virtue of their innate learning styles, collect and communicate a diversity of information – whether they are bees looking for nectar or friends trying to decide on a restaurant. Diversity of learning behavior in individuals may help social groups adapt to shifting global environments.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/144900/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chelsea Cook receives funding from National Institutes of Health, the US Department of Agriculture, and the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>New research suggests individual bees are born with one of two learning styles – either curious or focused. Their genetic tendency has implications for how the hive works together.Chelsea Cook, Assistant Professor in Biology, Marquette UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.