There is shortage of things on which to blame your constant tendency to be distracted from everything you should be doing in the office: funny videos, pretty skylines, delicious snacks, kittens, and the importance of sharing each and every one of these with all the randoms following you on social media. Now you can also blame superior intelligence for any spells of wandering attention, according to a very nice new study that we choose to accept without a single qualification or caveat.
According to Psychiatrist Dr Ned Hallowell, who shared his thoughts with The Telegraph, clever people often have trouble concentrating at work because they can’t decide which of their brilliant thoughts to prioritize first. The distractions that result from this can cause “a feeling of inadequacy and inability to deal with the workload as a whole,” says Hallowell, adding that smarter brains are more susceptible to these feelings.
The study was carried out by office furniture manufacturer Steelcase, and surveyed 10,000 workers in 17 countries. Unsurprisingly, researchers also found that the increased use of technology in workplaces has also contributed to our lack of ability to stay focused. The average distraction rate across both intelligent and less intelligent workers is now once every three minutes. Emails, which evidently do not count as a distraction, are checked an average of every two minutes.
Says Bostjan Ljubic, vice president of Steelcase:
“The ways in which we work are changing more rapidly than ever before and the brain is being subjected to stresses and distractions which can lead to overload and statistics show that distractions in the workplace are on the rise.”
So it’s not just your genius brain, it’s also your stupid smartphone. But as long as you’re still getting things done, you might as well feel good about the inevitable.
Source: http://www.details.com/story/
