Saturday, March 25th, 2023
Special Edition: Why Can’t We Focus?
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Research shows all the screens we use each day might be reshaping our brains and shortening our attention spans. Later, I’m speaking to an expert who has spent the last three decades studying how technology impacts our attention and what we may be able to do about it. Dr. Gloria Mark is a psychologist and the University of California’s Chancellor Professor of Informatics. Her new book is called “Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity.”
But first, we’re talking about a medical reason some people struggle to stay on task. The number of people diagnosed with ADHD has gone up in recent years, causing a surge in demand for ADHD prescriptions and now a shortage of drugs like Adderall. Pediatric neurologist Dr. Sarah Cheyette regularly treats ADHD patients and has written three books about the condition, including “ADHD & Me.” We’ll get into why there’s been an uptick in ADHD diagnoses and she shares her top advice for how we can all improve our focus.
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Guest: Sarah Cheyette, MD
Dr. Sarah Cheyette is a pediatric neurologist – a doctor who specializes in brains – at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. She loves treating ADHD patients because it is so rewarding to make interventions that can change a trajectory toward success.
Dr. Cheyette has written three books on ADHD which explain its common behavioral symptoms, the biology behind it, and what research has revealed about it – as well as issues faced by parents when considering prescription medications and other approaches to treatment. Her latest book, “ADHD & Me,” is for children learning about ADHD.
She received her medical degree from the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine. She had specialty training in pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and training in pediatric neurology at Seattle Children’s Hospital.
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Guest: Gloria Mark, PhD
Dr. Gloria Mark is the Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Irvine. Her new book, “Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity,” presents the science of how our attention spans have diminished in the digital age, along with solutions for regaining focus and well-being.
Dr. Mark studies the impact of digital media on people's work and personal lives, examining multitasking, attention and stress. She has published over 200 articles in top journals and conferences, and in 2017 was inducted into the ACM SIGCHI Academy which recognizes top leaders in the field of human-computer interaction.
She received her PhD from Columbia University in psychology and has been a visiting senior researcher at Microsoft Research for over ten years.
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