How to get into Second Life without really trying

Selby Evans is Thinkerer Melville in Second Life

Did you know that there are people who listen a lecture for a few minutes and then realize that they are no longer paying attention to the lecture?  Did you know that there are people who read a few pages of a technical book and then realize that they have no idea what was on the last page they read?  Did you know that some people who do those things wonder why they can’t concentrate?  Did you know that psychologists ask too many questions?

Psychologists also used to wonder why they couldn’t concentrate.  Psychologists don’t like to wonder about things they don’t know, so they gave it a name:  Attention span.  That doesn’t explain it.  That doesn’t cure it.  But knowing the name of something at least gives you a feeling of kinship with other people who know the name.  If you find anybody who complains that they can’t concentrate, you may want to tell them about attention span.

People can’t flap their arms and fly like a bird.  They don’t wonder why they can’t fly.  They never really thought they could.  Nobody told them they should.  Somehow, there seems to be an idea that people are supposed to be able to concentrate for hours on end. 

On which end is not certain.

We don’t know where this idea about long periods of concentration came from.  Certainly not from psychologists.  Maybe from the same place as the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot.  Somebody claims a sighting every once in a while.  Well, stop and think.  Have you actually ever seen anybody concentrate for hours on end? 

Either end?

Are there really people who can concentrate on the same thing for long periods?  You know what psychologists would say:  “It depends…”  This is language you have to learn as a psychologist.  Also: “On the one hand it does happen once in a while, but on the other hand, most people…” 

Experiments on college students listening to lectures suggest an attention span of about ten to twenty minutes.  But as we said, it depends…

It depends on you, on the target of your focus, and on what parts of your brain you are using to focus on it.  And on the size of your bladder.  And on how you use that other hand.

Sometimes, when people carry a heavy sack for a while, the arm gets tired.  Oddly enough, they don’t wonder why they can’t carry a heavy sack indefinitely.  They usually just shift to the other hand. 

Your brain has several modules that can serve as that other hand.  The Head Starts can help with that load shifting.  Think of this as passing the baton to well-rested parts of your brain.

See: Focus and Concentration

Strengths people use to beat the Brain Borers
Curious
Humor, Sense of
Imagery, Good
Imaginative
Sensitive to Needs of Others
Writer, Good

Brain modules

Head Starts
Well begun is half-done