Reading 《The Truth about Attention》

The author first explains what dopamine is. Actually, dopamine isn’t the substance that causes pleasure itself, but rather one that triggers the impulse or craving to satisfy a desire. Pleasure itself is derived from other chemicals, unrelated to dopamine.

Dopamine is easily hijacked, for example, by drugs. Drugs can completely rewire the brain’s circuitry. The brain typically has two circuits: one is the desire circuit, which primarily generates the feeling of ‘wanting,’ driving the pursuit of things that feel good or satisfy basic needs (food, water, social connection, etc.). It also helps remember the rewards associated with certain actions, encouraging their repetition. Dopamine plays a crucial role in this circuit. The other is the control circuit, responsible for higher-level thinking like planning, decision-making, and impulse control. It acts as the brain’s brakes and steering wheel. These two circuits work in opposition to each other. Substances like drugs completely destroy the control circuit while strengthening the desire circuit. Therefore, drugs must absolutely be avoided, as they cause irreversible brain damage.

Furthermore, life contains many subtle things that act similarly to drugs, such as gambling and pornography, and even things like smoking, alcohol, and tea [caffeine]. Also, the various forms of social media, short videos, and games emerging today fall into this category. These can all hijack human attention and become addictive.

Human time is limited, and focus is an extremely valuable resource. If one lacks control over their own focus and is constantly stimulated by external things, it’s like being numb or paralyzed – how tragic. In fact, the deprivation of focus can lead to a series of irreversible effects, such as irritability, anxiety, lack of empathy, inability to think deeply, and an aversion to using written language.

Li Xiaolai [or “The author”] mentioned some points related to parenting that I found quite insightful and agree with. For example, regarding television. He believes TV affects attention and should be avoided as much as possible, especially for infants and toddlers. If watching TV is unavoidable, documentaries are a better option, but it should be watched attentively, demanding the same kind of quiet focus as one would have in a movie theater. Furthermore, regarding how to solve the problem of children being constantly engrossed in screens, many suggestions have been offered, such as setting time limits, using rewards, etc. In the author’s view, the fundamental solution is to occupy that attention time with other activities. A very simple method is outdoor activity. The longer the outdoor activity time, the better, especially for younger children. Exercise can solve almost anything; physical strength is the foundation of mental capacity. The barrier to learning isn’t talent or IQ, but physical health and longevity. It’s best to help children develop a daily exercise habit before age ten, such as running. Another point is to teach children programming, using text (code) to create.

Later, the author delves deeper into the source of irresistible temptations, arguing that it lies in one’s values. This was the first time I had heard this perspective. Values reflect a person’s self-judgment regarding things; put simply, it’s about comparison or prioritization. For example, how do you rank health versus work? There’s also the strength of this ranking – whether these so-called values are stable. Some people have never really compared them, while others are vague when they do. This involves the use of the control circuit.

There are things in life that can strengthen this circuit, such as fear. For instance, doctors in hospitals, seeing so many patients sick for various reasons every day, implicitly strengthen this circuit. Reading books is another way; reading allows one to rapidly absorb the author’s distilled knowledge, accumulated through long periods of thought.

Regarding the importance and skillful use of written language, I strongly agree. Too many people in life have lost the ability to use written language effectively, especially for output (writing). Writing output is actually an excellent process for self-reflection and consolidating thoughts. Even mathematics relies heavily on language skills. If one’s language skills are poor, proficiency in many areas can be hindered. For example, I believe language study can train one’s logical thinking. Reflecting on my own experience, language classes in school involved no real thinking training; essay writing was just about empty, grandiose clichés. Normally, my written output was limited to weekly reports, lacking systematic writing practice. After starting my Master’s degree again, I finally recognized my problem: my significant gap in writing ability actually reflects issues with my way of thinking. In the future, especially with the rise of AI, the mastery of natural language will become even more crucial.

One application of using text is for ‘brainwashing’ oneself, for example, through retelling or repetition. This is very interesting because the brain tends to believe results it produces itself more than those absorbed from others (e.g., seen or heard). So, one method of influencing oneself is to constantly repeat content to oneself. This tricks the brain into thinking the content originated internally. Therefore, repeating things sufficiently to oneself over a short period is a truly effective way—or at least one effective way—to change oneself. For example, one can frequently retell events from life: movies watched, knowledge learned, etc.

Then, returning to a fundamental question: since time (or attention) is a finite, non-renewable resource, where should I invest it? Generally, our daily routine consists of sleep, exercise, relaxation, learning, work, and other activities. But many people, including myself, get the priorities wrong. Sleep, exercise, and relaxation are arguably more important than work and learning. A simple example: one night of poor sleep can hinder proper work performance for the next two or three days. When it’s time to rest, don’t let other things interfere, especially electronic devices. Spacing out, taking a bath, sunbathing, walking, singing, and dancing are all good ways to relax.

Regarding work and learning, a good suggestion is to treat work as learning, adopting a mindset of working for oneself. When making decisions, one must consider the cost to one’s focus, which can sometimes be enormous. Focus is a more valuable resource than talent, IQ, cleverness, or opportunities.