A Simple Visual Hack to Boost Your Focus (Andrew Huberman)

Summary

This script explores the relationship between visual and mental focus, emphasizing the role of neuroplasticity. It explains how visual focus can enhance mental concentration and suggests practices to improve it, such as maintaining a small visual window for attention. The discussion also touches on the impact of stimulants like caffeine and Aderall on alertness and focus, cautioning against their overuse. The script advocates for mindful engagement with learning materials to stimulate the brain's plasticity, contrasting passive consumption with active learning.

Takeaways

• 👀 Mental focus is closely linked to visual focus, and improving one can enhance the other.
• ☕ Caffeine can increase alertness by reducing adenosine, a molecule that induces sleepiness, which in turn can improve focus.
• 🚫 Aderall is often misused to enhance focus, but it primarily increases alertness rather than directly improving focus, and it carries a risk of abuse.
• 🌟 The brain's acetylcholine system plays a crucial role in focus and can be stimulated through visual focus exercises.
• 🔍 Visual focus can be trained to improve mental focus, with the trade-off between looking at a small area with high detail or a larger area with less detail.
• 🎯 To enhance focus, practice concentrating visually on a small area for an extended period, which can engage brain mechanisms for neuroplasticity.
• 📚 For optimal learning, focus on the material at the distance you intend to work, which can help develop depth and duration of focus.
• 📱 The small size and motion-rich content of phones can lead to a passive attentional focus that may not be beneficial for cognitive development.
• 💡 The brain's resources for focus are limited, so it's important to allocate them wisely between passive experiences and active learning.
• ⏳ Learning sessions should ideally last about 90 minutes, including a warm-up period, with the middle hour being the most focused.

Q & A

How does visual focus relate to mental focus?

Visual focus is a mechanism that can be used to enhance mental focus. When we focus visually on a specific point, it activates neurons in the brain stem that trigger the release of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, epinephrine, and acetylcholine, which are associated with increased mental focus and neuroplasticity.

What role does alertness play in focus, and how can it be achieved?

Alertness is a prerequisite for focus and can be achieved through various means, including emotional states like love or fear, or pharmacological methods such as caffeine. Caffeine works by reducing adenosine, a molecule that induces sleepiness, thereby increasing alertness and potentially enhancing focus.

How does Adderall affect alertness and focus?

Adderall increases alertness by stimulating the release of epinephrine from the locus coeruleus, which wakes up the brain. However, it does not directly increase focus as it does not affect the acetylcholine system. The perceived increase in focus might be due to the drug's ability to shift the autonomic nervous system towards a more alert state.

What are the potential issues with relying on Adderall for focus?

Relying on Adderall for focus can lead to habit formation and abuse, especially in those not prescribed the medication. Additionally, learning on Adderall does not always translate to high performance off Adderall, and its widespread abuse raises concerns that should be discussed with medical professionals.

How can practicing visual focus improve overall focus?

Practicing visual focus involves concentrating on a small visual area with precision, which can activate the brain's focus mechanisms. This practice can lead to increased mental focus and learning by engaging the brain's plasticity systems and releasing relevant neurotransmitters.

What is the tradeoff between looking at a small region with detail versus a larger area with less detail?

The tradeoff is that we can either focus on a very small region of space with high detail and precision or dilate our gaze to see a larger area with less detail. We cannot maintain high-resolution focus across our entire visual field due to the density of receptors in the eye.

How does the brain respond when we focus our eyes on a specific target?

When we focus our eyes on a specific target, our brain activates a set of neurons that trigger the release of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and acetylcholine. This response enhances our visual acuity and engages brain areas associated with gathering information from the focused location.

Why is it challenging for some people to focus on reading or listening compared to watching movies?

Focusing on reading or listening can be challenging because our attentional systems have become accustomed to the motion and drama of movies and other visual stimuli. This makes it harder to attend to static text or audio, which are less stimulating and require more effort to extract information.

What is the significance of the 90-minute learning bout mentioned in the script?

The 90-minute learning bout refers to the ultradian cycle, which is considered an optimal period for focused learning. It includes a warm-up period and a more intensive focus period. This cycle is believed to be effective for maintaining focus and enhancing learning and productivity.

How can one maintain focus during a learning bout?

To maintain focus during a learning bout, one should eliminate distractions, such as turning off Wi-Fi and placing the phone in another room or out of reach. It's also important to re-anchor attention by continually bringing the focus back to the task at hand, even when it drifts.

Outlines

00:00

👀 Enhancing Focus Through Visual Attention

The paragraph emphasizes the intrinsic connection between visual and mental focus, suggesting that improving visual focus can enhance overall concentration. It introduces the concept of neuroplasticity and how alertness, which can stem from various emotional states or substances like caffeine, plays a role. The discussion also touches on the use and potential abuse of ADHD medications like Adderall, clarifying their effect on alertness rather than focus itself. The narrator advocates for behavioral practices centered on visual focus to develop depth and duration of attention, explaining the physiological mechanisms involved when we focus visually, such as the alignment of eyes and the brain's release of certain neurotransmitters that aid in focus and learning.

05:02

🔍 Practicing Visual Focus for Improved Concentration

This section delves into practical strategies for training visual focus to improve concentration, especially for tasks like reading or studying. It suggests focusing on a small area of a screen for 60 to 120 seconds to enhance visual acuity and stimulate related brain areas. The importance of a clear visual image is highlighted, and the narrator addresses the challenges faced by individuals with ADHD or ADD, recommending professional guidance for managing these conditions. The paragraph also discusses the impact of digital devices, particularly smartphones, on our attention span, noting how their small size and motion-rich content can capture our focus but also make it harder to concentrate on less stimulating tasks like reading text.

10:05

⏳ Managing Attention Span and Learning Cycles

The final paragraph discusses the importance of managing our neurochemical resources wisely, cautioning against devoting them to passive experiences that do not contribute to personal growth. It introduces the concept of ultradian cycles, suggesting that a typical learning session should last about 90 minutes, with a focus on maintaining attention during the middle part of this period. The narrator shares personal tactics for minimizing distractions, such as turning off Wi-Fi and even locking away one's phone, to foster deep immersion in a task. The paragraph concludes by emphasizing the need to refocus our attention when it drifts and the value of practicing visual focus to enhance learning and cognitive abilities.

Keywords

💡Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity or neural plasticity, refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt as a result of experience. In the video, it is discussed as a key mechanism that allows for increased focus and learning. The script mentions that by practicing visual focus, one can enhance neuroplasticity, which in turn improves mental focus abilities.

💡Visual Focus

Visual focus is the ability to concentrate one's gaze on a specific point or object in the visual field. The video emphasizes that mental focus is closely linked to visual focus, and by improving the latter, one can enhance the former. The script provides examples such as looking at a small region of space with precision or dilating one's gaze to see a broader area with less detail.

💡Alertness

Alertness is a state of being awake, aware, and responsive to one's surroundings. The video discusses how alertness is a starting point for neuroplasticity and can be achieved through various means, including emotional states or substances like caffeine. The script explains that alertness can lead to the release of certain neurotransmitters that are crucial for focus and learning.

💡Acetylcholine

Acetylcholine is a neurotransmitter that plays a significant role in learning, memory, and muscle function. In the context of the video, it is mentioned as a chemical that can be released through visual focus, thereby enhancing mental focus and contributing to neuroplasticity. The script explains that focusing the eyes on a specific target can trigger the release of acetylcholine.

💡Adenosine

Adenosine is a molecule that increases the feeling of sleepiness and is counteracted by caffeine. The video script explains that caffeine reduces adenosine levels, which in turn can increase alertness. This is an example of how pharmacological substances can affect focus and mental state.

💡Adderall

Adderall is a prescription medication commonly used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The video discusses how Adderall increases alertness by affecting the release of epinephrine but does not directly increase focus. It is also highlighted as a substance with a potential for abuse and not a solution for everyone seeking to improve focus.

💡Parasympathetic Nervous System

The parasympathetic nervous system is a part of the autonomic nervous system that promotes activities that conserve energy and support functions such as digestion, respiration, and urination. The video script mentions that when this system is dominant, it can lead to a state of sleepiness, which contrasts with the alertness needed for focus.

💡Optical Flow

Optical flow refers to the visual stimulus that occurs when there is relative motion between an observer and a scene. The video script uses this term to describe the state of being relaxed and looking broadly at the environment, as opposed to focusing on a specific target, which is necessary for increasing mental focus.

💡Acuity

Acuity, in the context of vision, refers to the sharpness of vision and the ability to see fine detail. The video script explains that visual acuity is higher in the center of the visual field compared to the periphery, which is why focusing on a small area can increase the resolution and clarity of what we see.

💡Ultradian Cycles

Ultradian cycles are natural rhythms of the body that occur within a 24-hour period and are typically around 90-120 minutes in length. The video suggests that the optimal learning session should align with these cycles, allowing for periods of focused work followed by rest or less demanding activities.

💡Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulty paying attention, excessive activity, and impulsivity. The video addresses ADHD as a condition that can affect focus and suggests that individuals with ADHD should work with a psychiatrist to find appropriate pharmacological or behavioral interventions.

Highlights

Mental focus is closely linked to visual focus, and improving one can enhance the other.

Neuroplasticity can be accessed through alertness, which can be achieved through various means including love, joy, fear, or pharmacological methods like caffeine.

Caffeine reduces adenosine, a molecule responsible for sleepiness, and can safely increase alertness.

Aderall, chemically similar to amphetamine, increases alertness but not focus, and has a high potential for abuse.

Visual focus can be developed by practicing precision and detail in looking at a small region or by dilating the gaze to see broader visual space.

The pupil's size relates to the fovea, the area with the highest density of light receptors, affecting visual acuity.

Focusing the eyes activates neurons in the brain stem, triggering the release of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and acetylcholine, which are crucial for neuroplasticity.

To improve mental focus, practice visual focus, especially at the distance you intend to work for better neuroplasticity.

The finer the visual image and the longer the gaze is held, the higher the levels of attention will be.

Attention drifts, but it can be re-anchored by maintaining visual focus on the learning material.

The use of mobile phones can lead to a low-grade form of ADHD due to the constant shifting of visual attention.

Motion and visual stimuli, like movies, naturally draw our attentional system, making it harder to focus on static text.

Successful learning often involves focusing on less exciting but more enriching activities, like reading or listening to podcasts.

The brain's neurochemical resources should be allocated wisely between passive experiences and active learning.

Ultradian cycles suggest that the typical learning session should last about 90 minutes, including a warm-up period.

Eliminating distractions and maintaining focus during the middle part of the learning bout can significantly improve learning outcomes.

Re-anchoring attention by visual focus is crucial for learning and can be practiced to increase focus and learning rates.

Transcripts

the best way to get better at focusing

is to use the mechanisms of focus that

you were born with and the key principle

here is that mental focus follows visual

[Music]

Focus we are all familiar with the fact

that our visual system can be unfocused

blurry or jumping around or we can be

very laser focused on one location in

space what's interesting and vitally

important to understanding how to access

neuroplastic itic it is that you can use

your visual focus and you can increase

your visual Focus as a way of increasing

your mental focus abilities more broadly

so I'm going to explain how to do that

plasticity starts with alertness that

alertness can come from a sense of love

a sense of Joy a sense of fear doesn't

matter there are pharmacologic ways to

access alertness too the most common one

is of course caffeine which reduces the

molecule that makes us sleepy called

adenosine caffeine can be a relatively

safe way to increase epinephrine now

many people are now also using adero

adero chemically looks a lot like

amphetamine and basically it is

amphetamine it will increase epinephrine

release from Locust culus it will wake

up the brain and that's why a lot of

people rely on it it does have a heavy

basis for use in certain clinical

syndromes prescribed such as attention

deficit however it also has a high

probability of abuse especially in those

who are not prescribed it Aderall will

not increase focus it increases

alertness it does not touch the

acetylcholine system and if those of you

that are taking Aderall say well it

really increases my focus overall that's

probably because your autonomic nervous

system is just veering towards what we

call parasympathetic you're really just

very sleepy and so it's bring your

levels of alertness up as I mentioned

ader is very problematic for a number of

people it has it can be habit forming

learning on Aderall does not always

translate to high performance off or on

Aderall at later times and the Aderall

discussion is a broader one that perhaps

we should have with a psychiatrist in

the room at some point because it is a

very widely abused drug at this point in

time the acetylcholine system and the

focus that it brings is available as I

mentioned through pharmacology but also

through these Behavior practices and the

behavioral practices that are anchored

in visual Focus are going to be the ones

that are going to allow you to develop

great depth and duration of focus so

let's think about visual Focus for a

second when we focus on something

visually we have two options we can

either look at a very small region of

space with a lot of detail and a lot of

precision or we can dilate our gaze and

we can see big pieces of visual space

with very little detail it's a tradeoff

off we can't look at everything at high

resolution this is why we have these the

the pupil more or less relates to the

phobia of the eye which is the area in

which we have the most receptors the

highest density of receptors that

perceive light and so our Acuity is much

better in the center of our visual field

than in our periphery and that's because

the density the number of pixels in the

center of my visual field is much higher

than it is in the periphery when we

focus our eyes we do a couple things

first of all we tend to do that in the

center of our visual field and our two

eyes tend to align in what's called a

virgin eye movement towards a common

point the other thing that happens is

the lens of our eye moves so that our

brain now no longer sees the entire

visual world but is seeing a small cone

of visual imagery that small cone of

visual imagery or soda straw view of the

world has much higher Acuity higher

resolution than if I were to look at

everything now you say of course this

makes perfect sense but that's about

visual attention not mental attention

well it turns out that focus in the

brain

is anchored to our visual system I'll

talk about blind people in a moment but

assuming that somebody is sighted the

key is to learn how to focus better

visually not only do we develop a

smaller visual window into the world but

we activate a set of neurons in our

brain stem that trigger the release of

both norepinephrine epinephrine and

acetylcholine norepinephrine is kind of

similar to epinephrine so in other words

when our eyes are relaxed in our head

when we're just kind of looking at our

entire visual environment moving our

head around moving through space we're

in optic flow things moving past us or

we're sitting still we're looking

broadly at our space we're relaxed when

our eyes move slightly inward toward a

particular visual Target our visual

World shrinks our level of visual focus

goes up and we know that this relates to

the release of acetylcholine and

epinephrine at the relevant sites in the

brain for plasticity now what this means

is that if you have a hard time Focus

focusing your mind for sake of reading

or for listening you need to practice

and you can practice focusing your

visual system now this works best if you

practice focusing your visual system at

the precise distance from the work that

you intend to do for sake of plasticity

so how would this look in the real world

let's say I am trying to concentrate on

something related to I don't know

science I'm reading a science paper and

I'm having a hard time it's not

absorbing I might think that I'm only

looking at the paper that I'm reading

I'm only looking at my screen but

actually my eyes are probably darting

around a bit experiments have been done

on this or I'm gathering information

from too many sources in in the visual

environment now presumably because it's

me I've already had my coffee I'm

hydrated I'm well well rested I slept

well and I still experience these

challenges in focusing spending just 60

to 120 seconds focusing my visual

attention on a small window of my screen

meaning just on my screen with nothing

on it but bringing my eyes to that

particular location increases not just

my visual Acuity for that location but

it brings about an increase in activity

in a bunch of other brain areas that are

associated with gathering information

from this location so put simply if you

want to improve your ability to focus

practice visual Focus now if you wear

contacts or you have or you wear uh

corrective lenses that's fine you of

course would want to use those you don't

want to take those off and use a blurry

image the finer the visual image and the

more that you can hold your gaze to that

visual image the higher your levels of

attention will be so you absolutely have

to focus on the thing that you're trying

to learn and you will feel some

agitation because of the epinephrine in

your system if you're feeling agitation

and it's challenging to focus and you're

feeling like you're not doing it right

chances are you're doing it right and

you can practice this ability to stare

for long periods of time without

blinking I know it's a little Eerie for

people to watch but if your goal is to

learn how to control that visual window

for sake of controlling your focus it

can be an immensely powerful portal into

these mechanisms of plasticity because

we know it engages things like nucleus

balis and these other brain stem

mechanisms I get a lot of questions

about attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder ADHD and attention deficit

disorder some people actually have

clinically diagnosed ADD and ADHD and if

you do you should certain certainly work

with a good psychiatrist to try and

figure out the right pharmacology and or

behavioral practices for you many people

however have given themselves a lowgrade

ADHD or add because of the way that they

move through their world they are

looking at their phone a lot of the time

it's actually very easy to Anchor your

attention to your phone for the

following reason first of all it's very

restricted in size so it's very easy to

limit your visual attention to something

about this big it's one of the um design

features of the phone the other is that

just as you you've probably heard a

picture is worth a th000 words well a

movie is worth 10,000 pictures anytime

we're looking at things that have motion

visual motion our attentional system

will naturally gravitate towards them

towards those movies it's actually much

harder to read words on a page than it

used to be for many people because we're

used to seeing things spelled out for us

in YouTube videos or videos where things

move and are very dramatic it is true

that the more that we look at those

motion stimuli the more that we're

seeing movies of things and things that

are very dramatic and very intense the

worse we're getting at attending to

things like text on a page or to

listening to something like a podcast

and extracting the information if you

think about the areas of life that

dictate whether or not we become

successful independent healthy

individuals most of those involve the

kind of boring practices of of digesting

information on a page boring because

it's not as exciting in the moment

perhaps as watching a movie or something

being spoonfed to to us but the more

attention that we can put to something

even if it's fleeting and we feel like

we're only getting little bits and

pieces shards of the information as

opposed to the entire thing that has a

much more powerful effect in engaging

this coleric system for plasticity than

does for instance watching a movie and

that's because when we watch a movie it

can the entire thing can be great can be

awesome it can be this overriding

experience but I think for all those

experiences if you're somebody who's

interested in building your brain and

expanding your brain and getting better

at various things feeling better doing

better Etc one has to ask how much of my

neurochemical resources am I devoting to

the passive experience of letting

something just kind of overwhelm me and

excite me versus something that I'm

really trying to learn and take away and

now there's another I enjoy movie

content and TV content all the time I

scroll Instagram often but

we are limited in the extent to which we

can grab a hold of these acetylcholine

release mechanisms or epinephrine and I

think that we need to be careful that we

don't devote all our acetylcholine and

epinephrine all our dopamine for that

matter to these passive experiences of

things that are not going to enrich us

and better us so that's a little bit of

an of an editorial on my part but the

phone is Rich with movies it's rich with

information and the real question is is

the inform information rich in for us in

ways that grow us and cultivate smarter

more emotionally uh you know emotionally

evolved or uh people or is it creating

how's what's it doing for our physical

well-being for that matter so I don't

want to tell people what to do or not to

do but think carefully about how often

you're focusing on something and how

good you are or poor you are at focusing

on something that's challenging so once

you get this epinephrine this alertness

you get the acetylcholine released and

you can focus your attention then the

question is for how long and in an

earlier podcast I talked about these

ultradian cycles that last about 90

minutes the typical learning bout should

be about 90 minutes that learning bout

will no doubt include 5 to 10 minutes of

warm-up period I think everyone should

give themselves permission to not be

fully focused in the early part of that

bout but that in the middle of that bout

for the middle hour or so you should be

able to maintain Focus for about an hour

so so that for me means eliminating

distractions that means turning off the

Wi-Fi I put my phone in the other room

if I find myself reflexively getting up

to get the phone I will take the phone

and lock it in the car outside if I find

myself going to get it anyway I am

guilty of um giving away the phone um

for a period of time or even things more

dramatic I've uh thrown it up on my roof

before so I can't get to it till the end

of the day that thing is pretty

compelling and we come up with all sorts

of reasons why we need to be in contact

with it but I encourage you you to try

experiencing what it is to be completely

immersed in an activity where you feel

the agitation that your attention is

drifting but you continually bring it

back and that's an important point which

is that attention drifts but we have to

re-anchor it we have to keep grabbing it

back and the way to do that if you're

sighted is with your eyes that as your

attention drifts and you look away you

want to try and literally maintain

visual focus on the thing that you're

trying to learn feel free to Blink of

course but you can greatly increase your

powers of focus and the rates of

learning

[Music]