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Why is it that I can concentrate better when

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Teasel

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Anyone else have this or know why it this that I can concentrate better on spoken information when I am doing something else as well? Like a simple game on the iPad, or cross stitch or something.

Whne I try to focus ton spoken information - eg a ted talk, or podcast or factual audible book or tv documentary where the images aren’t necessary to be seen - without the distraction of the game or craft, I can’t concentrate on the spoken info.

I get distracted and go do something else instead....
 
Anyone else have this or know why it this that I can concentrate better on spoken information when I am doing something else as well? Like a simple game on the iPad, or cross stitch or something.
To some degree... that’s most people / a human thing. There are some interesting sex divides, too. Men tend to talk/listen better in motion whilst NOT making eye contact; meanwhile women tend to talk/listen better when sitting still but moving their hands, and eye contact is usually -but not always- preferred.

It was a minor topic in my cross-cultural anthropology courses (things that exist cross-cultures to the point of simply being human? Are so rare they’re always a topic), but a maaaajor topic in my communication courses. Because Communication majors are literally studying “How to talk so people will listen & how to listen so people will talk.” Not my major (thank all the stars), but a certain number of credits were required, so yaaaaay. Truthfully yay. Helped with the toddler/teen years and elderly parents more than I ever could have known. Snort.

Once we jump into disorder-land, though? We start seeing totally-normal-aspects-of-human-behavior take on new shape. Like fine & gross motor movements being self-soothing, grounding, or as a way to bring hypervig or anxiety “into the room” (instead of chasing down mental rabbit holes or fixating on the squirrel pausing to fart 2 blocks over in the ash tree), or as a way to add a sense of purpose/accomplishment lifting up depression, or, or, or, or.
 
It’s not something that used to be true for me, just in the past decade or so :)
 
I can't relax enough to read books. It's a major goal of mine. When I was in hospital I read a book in 5 days and loved it. Sometimes I wish I could just go round to someone else's house and just read with them.
 
I can't listen to people talk unless I'm busy- doodling etc. need to fidget with something or i absorb none of what was said.
and i also can't get as much physical work done unless there's some kind of background noise.

I do have adhd and have been told it's related to that.
But besides that I think it's because brains are big multi taskers.

And i think maybe ptsd brains wander a lot unless fully occupied.
Just listening to something doesn't take enuff brain power to stop the wandering.
listening to something and some kind of physical activity at the same time would take more brain power.......
just a theory
 
It may have to do with the Yerkes-Dodson law. Neuropsychological studies found out that people need extra or less stimulation (depending on their brain's current level of arousal and depending on the difficulty of the task) in order to improve their cognitive/behavioral performance. That way, they can eventually reach an optimal level of arousal.

First example: You're tired after waking up in the morning (i.e. your brain's level of arousal is low) and struggle to concentrate while studying. Listening to classical music while studying may help you in this case because it increases your brain's level of arousal.

Second example: You're wide awake after drinking a coffee (i.e. your brain's level of arousal is high) and struggle to concentrate while studying in a cafe because of the background noises. Going to a quiet place may help you in this case because it decreases your brain's level of arousal or at least does not increase it further.

Important to note though is that there are individual differences (e.g. between introverts and extroverts).
 
Yeah I often but not always find I can't concentrate on what I'm reading when there is background noise.
 
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