Are you paying ATTENTION?
I was recently interviewed on FOX News about an intelligent woman, a partner in a NYC law firm, who impetuously kicked her daughters out of her car (see Madlyn Primoff's Moment of Madness, 4/24/09).
I empathized with Madlyn's dilemma; I, too, have been frustrated enough to want to kick my fighting children out of the house, the car, the store.
But I didn't do it.
What tipped Madlyn over the edge?
She was trying to do too much; take care of the sibling rivalry in the back seat while at the same time, face forward, she monitored traffic and thought about who knows what else. Her brain was on overload; she couldn't think and she responded emotionally to the situation without seeing the consequences.
How many of us fall into the same trap?
The NY Times recently interviewed Dr. Robert Desimone, a neuroscientist at M.I.T., about his research on attention. Dr. Desimone found that the neural signals we need to attend "can have trouble getting through in a noisy environment." So if the kids are screaming we will not have the brain power to attend to something else that requires concentration.
It's not a good idea to drive or handle other dangerous objects (which abound in our kitchens) while being invaded by noise pollution.
We're surrounded by noise. At the checkout counter at my local supermarket I not only have the treats to withstand and the magazines that pollute the eyes, but now a little television at each register that incessantly blares news and advertisements. At a recent visit to an audiologist to check my hearing, I was confounded by the presence of a large television adjacent to the receptionist featuring a local talk show. Ditto for FOX news at other medical offices.
We're no longer given the opportunity to think.
With enough noise I might indeed lose the ability to think and end up throwing something at the TV, receptionist, or physician for keeping me waiting an hour in that raucous jungle! (Is that why an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at former President Bush?)
The NY Times article ends with two suggestions for reducing pollution of the brain; meditation and ear plugs. I bought my first pair yesterday.
I empathized with Madlyn's dilemma; I, too, have been frustrated enough to want to kick my fighting children out of the house, the car, the store.
But I didn't do it.
What tipped Madlyn over the edge?
She was trying to do too much; take care of the sibling rivalry in the back seat while at the same time, face forward, she monitored traffic and thought about who knows what else. Her brain was on overload; she couldn't think and she responded emotionally to the situation without seeing the consequences.
How many of us fall into the same trap?
The NY Times recently interviewed Dr. Robert Desimone, a neuroscientist at M.I.T., about his research on attention. Dr. Desimone found that the neural signals we need to attend "can have trouble getting through in a noisy environment." So if the kids are screaming we will not have the brain power to attend to something else that requires concentration.
It's not a good idea to drive or handle other dangerous objects (which abound in our kitchens) while being invaded by noise pollution.
We're surrounded by noise. At the checkout counter at my local supermarket I not only have the treats to withstand and the magazines that pollute the eyes, but now a little television at each register that incessantly blares news and advertisements. At a recent visit to an audiologist to check my hearing, I was confounded by the presence of a large television adjacent to the receptionist featuring a local talk show. Ditto for FOX news at other medical offices.
We're no longer given the opportunity to think.
With enough noise I might indeed lose the ability to think and end up throwing something at the TV, receptionist, or physician for keeping me waiting an hour in that raucous jungle! (Is that why an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at former President Bush?)
The NY Times article ends with two suggestions for reducing pollution of the brain; meditation and ear plugs. I bought my first pair yesterday.
posted by Dr. Spiegel at
10:59 AM
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