Attention Seekers

Some experts believe you can level up your concentration simply by picking the right scent. But does the science pass the smell test?

- By Brian Underwood

As I was lying in bed, struggling to write the introduction to this story, I turned to my makeup artist fiancé and said, “Give me an example of a time in life when you really needed to concentrate.” He paused for a beat, thinking. Then he shoved his iPhone in my face. “Look at this picture—what do you think of the woman’s eye shadow?”

If that isn’t a commentary on the state of our collective attention spans, I don’t know what is. Even the experts who study concentration suggest our ability to focus is on the decline, at least from anecdotal evidence: “I’ve heard from so many people who say they have trouble in this area,” says Gloria Mark, PhD, author of the new book Attention Span and a professor at the University of California at Irvine who studies digital behavior and distraction. Her research found that the average person’s ability to concentrate on a single onscreen task has shrunk by more than a minute. “This was inspired by my own experience—I was having so much trouble staying on task,” says Mark. What’s clear to her (and others): Getting stuff done just seems to be getting harder.