Latest / Health Tech & Wellness Podcast / Are We Losing Our Attention Span? The Truth About Scrolling
Transcript
- John Adams: Welcome to another week of the Health Tech and Wellness podcast. I'm your host, Jeff, not your host. Wow. That was terrible. Crystal Nevedale: I'm John Adams: Okay, here we go, we're back. One, two, three. Welcome to another week of the Health Tech and Wellness Podcast. I'm Jon Adams. Crystal Nevedale: And I'm Crystal Nevidale. John Adams: And let me ask you something. How long does it take before you decide that you're going to take the time to read something, watch something, or just sit down and have a conversation before you decide that you're getting antsy and you're going to skip it? Be honest with yourself. Is it three seconds? Maybe less. Because right now we're living in a world where TikTok, YouTube shorts, Facebook reels, they're all quick hits of dopamine. The constant scrolling. It feels normal, right? But here's the question. Is this just entertainment or is it actually changing the way that our brains are functioning and that we think? The way that we focus. Are we losing the time with our friends and family that we normally would have because we can't even focus on that time? There's ways that we experience life, right? And those ways are getting shorter and shorter and shorter because our attention spans are being trained to become shorter. Because I don't think we talk about this part enough in our lives. And this is just slowly but surely seeping in. Think about how we consume content right now. And I know there's a lot of people out there that can still sit and read a good book. or they're going to decide to put in the time to watch a full movie or a full TV show or even spend 30 minutes with a loved one or a friend that they haven't seen in a while. But that's becoming way, way increasingly more and more rare. We don't sit down and we don't read or watch anything for a long period of time. We scroll away. One video, then the next video, then the next video. Before you know it, you've watched 50 things. You might have read three sentences into the first paragraph of an article, and you barely remember any of it. We've gone from sitting down for a full experience to constant quick hits of stimulation. And the crazy part is, it's now what our normal feels like for us. What it's doing to us is not a good thing. And we are silently letting this happen to us, and we're not even paying attention to it. If you just look back to when we had the power out here, I couldn't really do a whole lot. So I did, I scrolled. it kind of is where this whole episode came from. So, Crystal, I just kind of want to ask you, are you noticing this? I know in your life you're extremely busy, so you may not even be able to experience this personally, but are you noticing this with people around you? Is this something that you're also seeing a lot of? Crystal Nevedale: ⁓ I'm not ⁓ What's the word I'm looking for ⁓ Shit, you're gonna have to erase that part. What's the word? What's the word? I'm looking for John that I'm not and not immune to it. Okay, there we go Yep, so I'm not immune to that. It happens to me as well. Like I find myself I'm sitting down I say I was going to post something for the day on Facebook or whatever I hit one of them rails and you know what next thing, you know, 20 minutes has passed and it's John Adams: That's okay ⁓ you're not immune to it. Yeah. Crystal Nevedale: I've been doing that. One thing I have been trying to do lately, like if I am going to be on there and I know I'm starting the reels, then I'll put a timer on. I'll just say, let's set a timer for 20 minutes. And then when she goes off, then I know I'm done. And I force myself to stop. But I do that now with a lot of activities because I do get lost. I think everybody does. Our attention span, and once we get sucked in. John Adams: It's... It's so bad. mean, and they make it so easy. And here, as we're creating this podcast, right? I've intentionally ⁓ stopped posting. On Facebook, I still post the episodes and some shorts and stuff, but I was doing ⁓ two times a day. I mean, I was doing my morning video, Martin O'Vational, and I was also posting a short of the podcast. And the reason why I'm trying to just see how long it's going to take for people to start to notice that, okay, look, the only way you're going to get us is the long form video, right? I'm going to go back to them, but it's a little experiment that I'm just trying because everybody is so used to those little quick hits of dopamine, those little quick hits of reward, right? Our brain is wired to seek reward and the quicker and easier we can get it. And we talk about it a lot with and we're trying to change our life and build those small little things. And it's the same exact thing when it comes to our attention spans and our ability to actually sit down and do anything, right? Short form content, it delivers fast. Every swipe is something new, something different. And now with all the AI stuff, I mean, I don't know if you've noticed it, but you're sitting there scrolling and then all of a sudden you see a cat playing the fiddle, right? We know it's fake. Well, we're still sitting there laughing our butts off at it. I don't know why it's so stupid. So here, at the end of the day, which way do you want it? Do you want to get back to, cause here, look, I'm not gonna say that this is a terrible thing because I don't think it's going away, but do you want... to lose all of your attention span, lose all of your ability to focus on the people that matter to you, the things that matter to you, the great books that we're all missing out on, movies, when we're all just sitting there. over and over and over. And like you just said, I do the same thing. I'm not immune to it either. I'm putting up those short reels or a post on Facebook or I'm posting our podcast. And while I'm in the middle of it, I see something, a reel or one of them. And 30 minutes later, I still haven't even hit upload because I'm watching all that stuff. So, we need to get back to how do we focus back to being able to not just need those quick things that keep us going. We can spend 50 minutes on 100 different little short things, but we can't spend 50 minutes on one in-depth thing that's probably gonna give us more knowledge, help us with our relationships, help us with... learning and retaining things instead of just a constant scroll scroll scroll scroll. At end of the day, I don't think our attention spans are broken. I think that we've adjusted them so much to the speed of changing back and forth. And this is where I think it really is going to get interesting because I've noticed this myself, you've noticed this yourself. And at the end of the day, do you feel that your attention span has changed? And I know you said you set an alarm. So if you didn't set that alarm, do you think that you would go back to it? And I know that's a tough question because I think you would. Your ability to kind of turn and go back to where you should be is better than mine. But do you think if you didn't set that alarm, if you just kind of willy-nilly did it, do you think you would ever get back to what you should be doing? I guess is what my question is. Exactly, because I wouldn't. Crystal Nevedale: No. It's true. mean, that's why I started doing that because it has gotten out of hand at different times. I don't like to waste a lot of time. know, there's things like I like a certain amount of quiet time. Like I have a lot of things that I like. So if I waste too much time on that, I've lost the things that really add value to my life. So that's what's important is those things steal the value of my life. I mean, I know that sounds dramatic, but it really is true. my meditation, my quiet time, my mat time, my noise therapy, all those things are really important to me. But if I just let it slip 20 minutes past, I've lost the time to do that. Now I'm slipping into another part of my life where I have these things to do and I can't get back to that. So I mean, it's important to set timers for me. I do it all the time. I mean, even when I'm watching a show, like if I'm watching a program and I wanna watch like two episodes, I'll set it for like 30 minutes. If they're 45 minutes, so what? I set it up for 30 minutes and then I go and take care of some other things that I need to take care of. I mean, I know that's like for a lot, everybody doesn't have the ability to set a timer all the time, but I mean, that's what Alexa in my house is used for the most. John Adams: You're going to set it off again. Crystal Nevedale: ⁓ I know, right? I was worried, but she didn't pick up the last time I told her about that alarm. I thought, goodness. John Adams: That's funny. ⁓ But no, yeah, I have found that I have to start doing that too because I'll get off on a tangent because everything is so quick. So at the end of the day, think about this. If you're trying to read a book, if you're trying to watch a full length movie, whatever, how many times do you find yourself in the middle of that or in a conversation with others. And you mentioned this in last week's episode where if you're in a conversation with somebody, you you put your phone aside, you put things aside, you're not touching anything. But I want everybody to think about this because I guarantee you do it. Or if you don't, know somebody that does because me and Cindy, like I said, we people watch and you'll sit at a restaurant and you will see people sitting there talking to each other with their phones in their hand. Right. So how many times do you sit there? and you're planning on reading a book. It's harder when reading a book because it takes a lot more conversation, but you're watching a movie or you're watching a show with your spouse or your loved one or you're at a restaurant and you find yourself reaching for your phone. Even when you probably shouldn't be. let's not say probably. You 100 % shouldn't be in those moments. And let's be real. Do you get bored faster now? because of all those quick hits and that's why you find yourself reaching for that? Are we less patient now than we used to be because of all these quick hits? Do we expect everything to get to the point of immediately, right? We need everything now. The now has become so huge for everybody. Because if we think and we're honest with ourselves, we know this has shifted. And it's shifted probably in the last 10 years. Because I know when I was a kid, and I don't know when you were a kid, when I was a kid, we'd sit outside, playing with the GI Joe, digging in the dirt, making bases for hours. And then all of a sudden, the street light comes on and mom's yelling, you get in the house and you lost track of time. Because you didn't have all these other things going on. Now, kids nowadays, if you go on a car trip and you don't hand them the iPad, It's going to be the worst trip in the world for you because they're going to be screaming the entire time because they got nothing to do. So I'm sure you've, don't know if you've experienced that yet. Your grandchildren are still a little young. But are you noticing that they're kind of getting hooked to the electronics and stuff like that? Good. Awesome. Crystal Nevedale: No, we don't do that. they have very small amounts of time they're allowed to have like, or Hazekai isn't old enough for anything, but even Alihanah has certain amount of time that she's allowed on anything. I mean, her mom's really good with touch play. So in my day, we tried to give them things to do. You know, now I think a lot of the parents are getting to be more alert and understanding and more aware and they're understanding like what it's doing. to the kids with all the stimulation. Even my grandkids' toys are not like, a lot of them aren't colorful. Like their books are black and white. Like it's this new stuff that's showing, you know, where the dopamine and all that's being released from these bright colors. And so there's all this new stuff in my children. My son and his partner are really good about researching and find out what's best for them. So we really try to stay away from the screens. I won't say they don't ever get it because we love Miss Rachel. But we really do lemon it. John Adams: Yeah, that's good. ⁓ And that's something that I think a lot of people could benefit from is limiting that stuff. And I don't know, like... here, my nieces and nephews, when they were little, you hand them a phone. Now, I don't know if it's from watching and observing or what, but you hand them a phone and in two seconds they know how to unlock it, get to YouTube and start watching a video. I don't understand it, right? And I think maybe they're just watching us, you know, as we're, you know, we don't have children, me and Cindy, but you know, my nieces and nephews, if they're just watching, you know, the adults do it and they're picking up on it quick, but... It's insane that these kids can, you can hand them this electronic device that a lot of adults still struggle with and they're getting into, who was it was telling me? They locked out, I think it was Brandy said she locked out YouTube from Jameson and put a password and everything. And he got the iPad and unlocked it and was right back into it. These kids are, They're addicted to these quick hits. So what you're doing, that's amazing. I wish more people could really limit that time because yes, give it to them. Crystal Nevedale: It's getting better. It is getting better and I'm noticing in the parents that are my kids age, my kids are 26, 25 and 26. So I feel like those parents are becoming more aware. Now in my day, I was so busy. I worked 12 hour days and I prayed for some kind of something to turn on. mean, Sesame Street was my best friend in Barney. said, get anything accomplished in the house. So I mean, I feel like there is an awareness coming that's different than what in my day. I never even thought about stuff like screen time or none of that. Like now I feel like people are becoming more aware, at least in my, people that I'm surrounded with, like my kids and my daughter-in-law, like they're really great about that stuff. They know, they teach me stuff every day, you know, about that. John Adams: Yeah. You hit on a big part that I think is why it started so easily. ⁓ So a lot of households, the parents were working 12 hour days, the kids, know, it was kind of the one way it was quick and it was easy to just like get that relief, right? When you come home. And I think that that's bled over throughout time as it's just become more and more easier. Crystal Nevedale: Mm-hmm. John Adams: for it to happen. I mean, I watched it. I started with the Atari, right? And we've seen the whole thing. That's the benefit of our, well, my age at least, you're a little younger. But ⁓ that's the benefit of that is we've been able to watch this happen. But even as an adult, I see myself that I have to, like you said, if you don't set a timer, you're gonna be lost in this stuff. And here, if I was lost in a full... movie or episode or book, I would say that's fine. You still got to get things done. Life has to still happen. that at least you're, you're encompassing a full story. You're getting something out of it. Your brain is actually firing and you're learning things, right? But now you add in these little short, quick hits and you're getting nothing out of it. It's, it's poison. It's rotting our brains. ⁓ So I just kind of wanted to hit on that and get your take on it because at the end of the day I'm not saying that it's bad. Okay, I understand we need those. Okay. I like I said, I've kind of intentionally cut back on them I'm gonna bring them back, but I'm doing a little test, but I understand the purpose behind them, right? So if you're a content creator and you're trying to get the full episode of our podcast out there putting the little short hit lets people know hey Here's something really cool. You might want to watch this but I can see the algorithm, right? I can see how many people find us from the full episode and how many people find us from those shorts. And we get a lot of views on those shorts and a lot of likes and a lot of everything. They don't convert because people still would rather see 30 seconds of something and then move on to 30 seconds of something brand new, right? So that's kind of why I'm testing it out. I want to see if our long form grows by cutting back on those. Crystal Nevedale: Yeah. John Adams: Because I think the people that are watching those love them, but then they also love the hundred more things that they're seeing. So I think it's not converting to the long. ⁓ But long story short, I think that there is value in it. It's fast, it's entertaining, it helps creators like us get our message out there. But like everything else, you need balance. Because there's a difference between using long form Crystal Nevedale: Right. Mm-hmm. John Adams: content to grow and learn and get this full topic out to people and let them understand and then being trained by short form video that's just quick constant boom boom boom so I Guess at the end of the day being aware when you're just scrolling out of habit or Giving your brain time to slow down absorb something learn get something out of what you're seeing Because if everything in your life is fast, if you're always in a rush, if you're always and you can't slow down, you're gonna lose the ability to enjoy when things are slow. And you're gonna just want that fast pace again. When you get those moments to slow down with your family, when you get those moments to slow down with your friends, you get those moments to spend time with the people that truly matter. We need to be able to enjoy that slowness. Crystal Nevedale: Right. John Adams: So, here's something to think about. If everything that you consume is quick, fast, and constantly changing, when does your brain actually process anything? When do you think? When do you sit down and just idle, right? When do you just be you? When do you just be with the person in those moments, watching the sunrise? You posted the other day, you you have some work to be done on your motorcycle, but you went out on Emily's motorcycle with her. When do get to enjoy those moments, right? Because in those slow moments, that's where clarity comes from. So make sure that, and it seems like this podcast is becoming a complete episode of put your damn phone down, but it's the truth. As we're trying to grow our health, our mental health, our physical health, these are the most detriment things that we can have. And... with me, you I have the Libre, you know, even though my blood sugar has been great and I'm a 5.3 A1C and everything's been going good, to not have it disconnect, because I have to, I'm gonna be a diabetic for the rest of my life. Even though I've reversed it, I'm gonna be a diabetic. So I have to have it on me, the phone needs to be near it. So it's kind of made it even worse, because I can leave it across the house, but if I'm going outside, I gotta pick the thing up, because if I don't, it's gonna disconnect and then it's... It's nightmare. So find the things that you can do to make time matter. Slow down. Get rid of those things that are getting in your way that are stopping your growth. Spend the time with the family, the friends, and make time count. Do you have anything you want to add to this episode? Crystal Nevedale: Make time for yourself, quiet time for yourself. That's really where it's at. That's really where, my opinion, that's where all the balance happens is when we take time for ourselves. So in the morning, I would suggest people to take 20 minutes just for themselves. No phone, no stimulation, maybe some background music or something like that if that's what you need, but just breathing, some breathing exercises and just some quiet time to start your day. Set your day with intention so you can have a good day and. Keep moving forward, right? John Adams: 100 % going back to what we were talking about in previous episodes, know, having that morning routine where you can start your day with intent is huge. Very. So we'll wrap things up with this question or this comment. The next time that you catch yourself reaching for your phone, just out of pure boredom, pause for one second and ask yourself this, am I choosing this or am I reacting to this? That one question alone, changes everything. And honestly, that's what makes something like Crystal's Treasure Box out in Vermillion the opposite of everything that we've just talked about. It's not fast, it's not loud, and it's not pulling you in 10 different directions. It slows you down. It lets you be present. And in today's world, that is extremely rare. So if you're near Vermillion, Ohio, stop in and check out some of the amazing things that she has there. And for creators, This matters even more because right now we're all creating in a short form world. Quick clips, fast hooks, constant output, and that's great for reach. But real connection, that still happens in depth. Through Amplify, we focus on building systems that let you do both. Short form to get attention, long form to actually make that impact. So check out Amplify dot or amplify dot living 95 calm and book a free call and let me see what we can do for you Your brain isn't broken guys It's just adapting to the environment that you're putting in or to the environment that you're put in This is the yeah, let me back up Let me close with this your brain isn't broken guys It's just adapting to the environment to the environment that you're put in This is the question. I want you all to live with. Are you in control of that environment or are you reacting to it? Are you letting everything around you control you or are you controlling it? So at the end of the day, as always guys, stay healthy, stay balanced. ⁓ sorry, I took yours. Let me get you back. Okay. So as always guys, stay healthy. Crystal Nevedale: Stay balanced. Stay balanced. John Adams: and keep driving forward. We'll see you next time. Crystal Nevedale: See you next time. Well, look at us. We did it. John Adams: Yes, we cut that one.