Numb

Discover how to manage this noisy world without it managing you.

In Numb, distinguished author Dr. Charles R. Chaffin delivers a fun and evidence-based exploration of how you can devote more attention on what you believe is important while ignoring the distractions that increasingly permeate your life. Using research from cognitive, education, positive, and clinical psychology, the book identifies the sources of noise and distraction in this information age and how we can manage it in all aspects of our lives.

You'll learn about:

• How experiences in technology, from social media to selfies to porn, impact our ability to engage and connect with others
• The news we consume and the impact of confirmation bias, filter bubbles, and tribalism
• How FOMO and choice overload impact our decision-making
• The power of our attention in all aspects of our daily lives

Perfect for anyone interested in the expanding impact of the information age on our collective psyche, ;Numb helps empower you to use technology and information not as a destination, but as a tool towards authenticity and empowerment.

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1: The Information Age

2: Can I Have Your Attention Please?

3: The News

4: Instagram Worthy

5: Who’s the Pigeon Now?

6: A Habit of Distraction

7: Tinder and I Are Registered at Amazon

8: Confirmation Bias

9: Compassion Fatigue

10: Too Much Information

11: FOMO

12: The Outrage Machine

13: Tribalism

14: Instant Gratification

15: Loneliness

16: Choice

17: Impulse Buying

18: Porn

19: Publisher or Platform?

20: Algorithms

21: Regaining the Feeling

DR. CHARLES R. CHAFFIN (Washington, DC) writes and speaks on a variety of topics related to cognition, attention, and human behavior. His research has focused on attention and multitasking and their relationship to human performance in a variety of settings. In his previous books, Chaffin takes complex topics, analyzes them, and through humor and short stories, makes them fun and accessible to a broader population.

We live in an information age. Smartphone apps, cable news channels, emails, and dating sites are actively working to steal our attention through crafty (yet artificial) rewards, push notifications, and in many cases, opinion disguised as fact. This information age has created a scarcity of our attention, one where our success as problem-solvers, partners, and citizens is no longer dictated by the amount of information we have access to, but rather, by our ability to comprehend, sort, and make sense of all of it. It can be overwhelming. At the same time, many of us are also seeking attention, mainly through our own form of “attention panhandling” on social media through selfies, likes, and artificial (or even fake) experiences. Rather than tools used for productivity and authenticity, the screens in front of us have become our destination, holding our attention for hours per day at the expense of so many other parts of our daily lives.

In Numb, distinguished author Dr. Charles R. Chaffin delivers a fun and evidence-based exploration of how you can devote more attention on what you believe is important while ignoring the distractions that increasingly permeate your life. Numb takes a 360-degree view of life in this information age, examining the byproducts of our constant engagement with email, news, social media, and more.

Numb answers:

• How do we use social media as a tool for deeper connections as opposed to our “social destination?”
• How do we extricate ourselves from many of our habits of distraction?
• How do we separate fact from opinion and substance from sensationalism to become better-informed voters and citizens?
• How do we make good choices when technology presents an endless supply of options?
• How do we remain compassionate when we are constantly barraged with images and videos of pain and suffering?
• What is the impact of selfies, porn, and outrage on our daily life?

Each chapter is concise and digestible, bringing relevant research to life through short stories and humor. Chaffin brings each component of the information age to life, identifying the challenge and offering detailed solutions that provide for reflection and positive change. Anyone looking to take control of all the screens around them will gain a great deal from Numb.

Through interviews with over 60 therapists, researchers, and everyday people, Dr. Charles Chaffin offers fun and thought-provoking ways that we can manage all of this information towards authentic and meaningful experiences. Ideal for anyone who’s been affected by today’s digital world, Numb will earn a place in the libraries of everyone who wants to use technology as a tool for empowerment, instead of a constant (and seemingly never-ending) distraction.

PRAISE FOR Numb

“Numb tackles one of the most challenging issues we face today: the barrage of messages, appeals, advertisements, and other sensory inputs that are overwhelming our limited mental bandwidth. Chaffin walks us through the science of how technologies intended to make us more connected with one another have ended up splintering our attention and redirecting it away from the people and activities that are most important to us. He offers practical advice for how we can regain mastery of our own minds and ultimately lead happier lives.”
—JOHN BESHEARS, Terrie F. and Bradley M. Bloom Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School

“You can’t make change happen, or deepen relationships, or communicate well, or get ahead without paying very good attention. Constant overload leaves most people distracted and disoriented and prevents their path forward. Dr. Chaffin takes you through a step-by-step process to find your attention—and to keep it.”
—BEVERLY D. FLAXINGTON, The Human Behavior Coach^®; bestselling author

“Numb tackles some of the most critical and challenging aspects of both personal and professional life today: how we manage an ever-present bombardment of information and technology. It helps us rethink how to live—and thrive—in the new ‘attention economy.’”
—CHRIS GECZY, PHD, Professor of Finance, The Wharton School

“Time is one of our greatest resources, and yet we are losing a LOT of it. Why and how can we change? I’ll cut to the chase: Numb is the one book you should read to understand your relationship with distractions and regain focus.”
—HAL E. HERSHFIELD, UCLA Anderson School of Management