Stolen Focus

Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again

De: Johann Hari

Narrado por: Johann Hari

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Our ability to pay attention is collapsing. From the author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections comes a groundbreaking examination of why this is happening—and how to get our attention back.

“The book the world needs in order to win the war on distraction.”—Adam Grant, author of Think Again

“Read this book to save your mind.”—Susan Cain, author of Quiet

WINNER OF THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Post, Mashable, Mindful

In the United States, teenagers can focus on one task for only sixty-five seconds at a time, and office workers average only three minutes. Like so many of us, Johann Hari was finding that constantly switching from device to device and tab to tab was a diminishing and depressing way to live. He tried all sorts of self-help solutions—even abandoning his phone for three months—but nothing seemed to work. So Hari went on an epic journey across the world to interview the leading experts on human attention—and he discovered that everything we think we know about this crisis is wrong.

We think our inability to focus is a personal failure to exert enough willpower over our devices. The truth is even more disturbing: our focus has been stolen by powerful external forces that have left us uniquely vulnerable to corporations determined to raid our attention for profit. Hari found that there are twelve deep causes of this crisis, from the decline of mind-wandering to rising pollution, all of which have robbed some of our attention. In Stolen Focus, he introduces readers to Silicon Valley dissidents who learned to hack human attention, and veterinarians who diagnose dogs with ADHD. He explores a favela in Rio de Janeiro where everyone lost their attention in a particularly surreal way, and an office in New Zealand that discovered a remarkable technique to restore workers’ productivity.

Crucially, Hari learned how we can reclaim our focus—as individuals, and as a society—if we are determined to fight for it. Stolen Focus will transform the debate about attention and finally show us how to get it back.

©2022 Johann Hari (P)2022 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“[A] fresh take on focus and attention . . . You’ll learn a lot from this book, and its well-researched data is presented in a highly readable style laced with stories and personal anecdotes. Which is to say, against all odds, it will hold your attention.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Where other books about our relationship to technology tend to focus on personal responsibility, stressing the importance of self-control, Stolen Focus takes a step back and examines the ecosystem that created the problem. . . . Hari’s writing is incredibly readable.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Big-name websites and apps strive to distract because that’s the key to profitability. When we’re looking at our screens, these companies make money; when we’re not, they don’t. . . . It’s a call to arms, to be sure, and I’m tempted to tell my Twitter followers about it—but I’ve deleted the app from my phone.”—The Washington Post

Fascinating book from Johann!

Ever book and audiobook of Johann Hari is amazing! This one is no different. This audiobook offers a very interesting insight into the surveillance capitalistic companies that profit off our distraction with their products and services. He paints vividly how this is affecting all of us today, and leaves with positive ideas for changing this model and regaining our focus in life.

Stollen Focus

I sincerely enjoyed listening to this fantastically well written and very well researched. I highly recommend this “Stollen Focus” book to all mothers, fathers, teachers, and professors, and to all our administrations of any organization to learn and to allow our children grow healthier, with more focus & attention & with much more creativity as well!

Well researched, but the book gets off topic

I mostly enjoyed the book, but I wish the author didn’t bring up gay rights issues or feminism. It may be a personal bias of mine since I am opposed to the author’s stances with some nuances I won’t discuss since that would be off topic. He makes a lot of great points about the role technology plays and how our lack of attention drives overconsumption. I support a more individualized approach to tackling the problem. If enough people stand up for themselves and their needs, companies will adapt. Want better pay to have economic security? Develop your skills, push for a raise, get a better job, or start your own business. Governments do not have our best interest at heart. Take responsibility for your choices. Use the knowledge you gain and put it to work.

Exceptional and Vital

Highly recommend. Much more than I was expecting. A thorough exploration of vital topics pertaining to attention, and the implications for our lives and planet.

Stunningly well researched and written.

Another mind blowing and necessary read by Johann Hari. Beautifully written and read by the author bringing focus to the subject of our attention and the forces trying to rob us of our deep attention and its benefits. Benefits to individuals, our societies, and our planet

Surveillance marketing stole your child's focus.

I felt heartbreak from page one. This author/narrator witnessed a crime that injures children like yours every nanosecond. Every few minutes a smartphone steals your child's best asset for survival, focus. (Maybe they stole yours too). Yohann tells it more compassionate than I. He explains how a smartphone sucked at least 10% of you and your I.Q.
Want your Stolen Focus back, every interruption erased that stole your concentration and exponentially dumbed down your brain. Can the mush between your ears even get your focus back, the power Social Media's Surveillance and manipulation practices have in their hands, jerking you into a shopping spree at their pleasure. Your choice left long ago.
Can you even get your child's most valuable assets back? How about stopping Social Media's Surveillance Marketing from abusing you and your family. Haven't you lost enough?
Johann Hari's nephew had his inner drive ripped from his chest while he was "multitasking". Wanna hear a first hand account, the play by play of the theft of your child's soul...and maybe yours?

Interesting perspective with some weak advice

Good information with questionable conclusions. lots of arguments are supported anecdotally, but it moves you to examine your own habits.

Should be required reading for all people

I am a parent, grandparent, and a self-employed entrepreneur. I could identify with everything Johann Hari had to say regarding stolen focus. This is something I have been subconsciously concerned about for several years as a parent but I’m also feeling the effects as an adult who is not highly engaged in social media but enough so that I find it disturbingly distracting. I found this book to be interesting, educational, ambitious, and inspiring. I feel this book should be required reading for every parent and every student even beginning in middle school. Our world needs to hear this. The author has an engaging voice and is easy to listen to.

Excellent text

Beyond the rich content, the form and structure of the book make for a very pleasant, informative, and thought-provoking text that I will be recommending to friends and colleagues. The author well captured a broad range of findings from a variety of disciplines and topics to anchor his arguments; I suspect that the book will satisfy a broad audience.

P.s. For context to my review, I am a social-personality psychologist.

A must read!

Superb study and commentary on all of the ways that continuous growth affects our lives.