Please, for my sake and yours, focus on nothing but the words on this page (or screen) for the next few minutes. Any distraction may lead to hazy memory and an altered perception of reality. Put your smartphone on “do not disturb,” or better yet, get it out of sight.
Distractions are always going to be a part of life. But in this day and age, modern technology has made them almost constant. One study found that cellphones distract people 80 times per day. But this broken focus is more than just an inconvenience: it could lead to memory trouble and an inaccurate perception of reality.
The results of the study were published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance. Researchers asked participants to focus on a four-colored square on a screen. Sometimes, a brightly colored square light lit up another square to serve as a distraction. Next, the participants were asked to identify the color they were staring at on a color wheel. If they chose a slim range, it signaled confidence in the selection; a wider range indicated doubt.
The results showed that most people confidently picked the color of the distraction light or overcompensated by picking the furthest color from the distraction light. In any event, the focus altered their perception of reality and memory.
