Goldfish: 1 Humans: 0

On a scale of one to goldfish, how short is a human's attention span?

Oh look, a flower!!!

According to TIME Magazine, goldfish surpass humans in their ability to maintain focus. A research study in Canada conducted 2000 studies of the human brain using electroencephalograms (EEGs). It found that the human's average attention span dropped from 12 to 8 seconds while the goldfish stands triumphantly at 9, and it attributes this attenuation to one primary cause: a digitalized lifestyle. 

According to THE Huffington Post, one reason for our reduced attention spans relate to habits and practices associated with electronics. In shedding light on the role of critical thinking, the article states: "the ways we use technologies lead us to develop particular habits of mind. With print, even though we might skim and scan, the default mindset is continuous reading. It's also focusing on what we're reading, even though sometimes our thoughts wander. Digital technologies engender a different set of habits and practices." In other words, when I open the e-book version of my Aural Rehabilitation textbook on my browser, I have an imaginary list of tabs lining up in my brain to be next: Gmail, Facebook, Gmail again (I really love checking email), the list goes on. This default multi-tasking mode makes e-book reading a challenge as my brain hungrily searches for more stimulation rather than absorbing the content. When it comes to reading books from a hard copy, I think that the "less is more" philosophy rings true. There is only so much you can do with a book, and the primary activity is -- you guessed it -- reading! From a subjective perspective, I find myself more focused on reading material that is presented in hard copy and now I understand why: there is no where else to turn (except to the next page, of course). 

In Daniel Kahneman's book entitled Thinking Fast and Slow, he describes two systems of mental activity: System 1 is quick to make decisions and snap judgments, whereas System 2 is slower-paced and analytical. He describes that deep reading requires effort, concentration, and focus, and utilizes System 2. System 1 is activated during digital use, including e-books. This distinction highlights the scientific backing for why hard copy books are more beneficial for the sake of learning.

However, learning is only one piece of this puzzle. When it comes to convenience and price, e-books most certainly win, leading to my first-ever e-book purchase this spring. And so, to loop it back to last week's discussion: are e-books an inferior good? Do the benefits outweigh the drawbacks? We'll see, but in the meantime...I'm gonna go buy a goldfish.