Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Where were we before we got sidetracked? It's tempting to blame cell phones, iPods and satellite radios for our distractibility, say researchers. But the more likely culprit is the aging brain. Changes in brain activity that begin gradually in middle age may explain why older adults find it hard to focus in busy environments, according to a study in this month's Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience.

Canadian researchers compared brain scans of adults of various ages who were given a series of memory tasks. They found that advancing age inhibited the ability to turn off background chatter and concentrate on the task at hand.

"Young adults can do this really well," said lead author Cheryl Grady, senior scientist with the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest in Toronto. "This difference becomes less distinct in middle-age adults and is even less distinct in older adults."

Seeking Focus One way to cope better: Limit multi-tasking. "Multi-tasking is a colloquial expression for what we refer to as a divided-attention problem," said David Madden, professor of medical psychology at Duke University Medical Center. "When people have to divide their attention, it's harder to concentrate."

Looking Within Another suggestion: Adjust the internal volume. Denise Park, co-director of the Center for Healthy Minds at the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois, noted that older participants in the study were distracted not only by outside forces but also by their internal musings. "What's really important to be effective is that you suppress your internal conversation and deal with the external stimulus," Park said.

Of course, if you have to concentrate, it wouldn't hurt to turn off the radio, TV or other unnecessary noises (and ask the loudmouth in the cubicle next to you to pipe down), says Park. In a stimulus-rich environment such as an airport, concentrate on what you need to do to get on that plane and keep controllable distractions -- such as the cell phone -- to a minimum.

-- Elizabeth Agnvall