WHERE HAS YOUR ATTENTION GONE?

If you're feeling distractedstay with me-there are fixes.

- GREGORY SCOTT BROWN

NOT TOO LONG AGO, PEOPLE (maybe even you) could actually have a conversation or a thought without email, Slack, WhatsApp, texts, X, or whatever else chiming in. True, there are more distractions than ever-even your refrigerator can ping you these days, and, hey, was that just a notification from Apple News? But our attention spans are becoming shorter, too. Some research shows that we now move from screen to screen as much as two minutes faster than we did 20 years ago.

So it's no surprise that everyone thinks they have ADHD now. It might feel like it, but this isn't something you can bring on through bad habits. With actual ADHD, symptoms begin in childhood, typically with problems finishing homework or answers blurted out in class. The condition is caused by weak connections in a part of the brain called the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive function that includes your ability to plan ahead, use self-control, and, yes, filter out distractions. There's no cure for ADHD, but its symptoms can improve with medications and therapy. Though you hear about it a lot, it's in fact pretty rare: Only about 4 percent of U. S. adults are currently living with it.