Mark Berman

And that's the kind of attention where you as the individual person are deciding what to pay attention to.

So presumably...

anybody listening to this show is deciding to pay attention to what we're talking about.

And this directed attention is the kind of attention that we use a lot in schools and at work.

It's thought to be fatigable or depletable, that you can only sort of direct your attention for so long before you become mentally fatigued and you can't really focus anymore.

And we've all had that sensation kind of at the end of a long workday where you might be just staring at the computer screen and nothing's really happening and you just can't focus or concentrate to get your work done.

We would call that a directed attention fatigue state, and that's a good time to take a break.

Right, and the second form of attention Steve called involuntary attention.

And that's the kind of attention that's automatically captured by interesting stimulation in the environment.

So bright lights, loud noises, they automatically capture our attention and we don't really have any control over it.

And it's thought that involuntary attention is less susceptible to fatigue or depletion.

And you don't often hear people say, oh, I can't look at that beautiful waterfall anymore.

It's just too beautiful.

It's too tiring to look at.

I have to stop looking at it.

So the idea behind attention restoration theory is that if you can find environments that don't place a lot of demands on directed attention, while simultaneously having interesting stimulation that activates the involuntary attention, you could restore or replenish this precious directed attention resource.

And we think that a lot of natural environments sort of meet these criteria.

When you're looking at those waves at the ocean, it captures your involuntary attention, but it doesn't really capture all of your attentional resources.

You can kind of mind wander and think about other things while you're looking at those waves.

When you're walking through Times Square, it's also very interesting.