logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
29m 44s

HIBT Lab! Stolen Focus: Johann Hari

Guy Raz | Wondery
About this episode

Like so many of us, author Johann Hari noticed that the more time he spent looking at screens and switching from device to device, the harder it became for him to concentrate and achieve his goals. After talking to more than 200 doctors, researchers, and neuroscientists around the world, Johann came to a sobering conclusion: the human race is in the middle of an attention crisis. He examines this societal challenge in his new book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again.

This week on How I Built This Lab, Johann and Guy discuss the factors chipping away at our ability to focus, and what we can do to reclaim our attention. They also talk about flow states – how we get into them, and why everyone in the business world should be working to achieve them. 

Check out Johann’s book here: https://amzn.to/3L3wsMC

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Jul 10
Advice Line with Norma Kamali of Norma Kamali (2024)
Iconic fashion designer Norma Kamali joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three early stage founders. Plus, Norma shares her take on balancing a strong creative vision with the financial realities of building a worldwide brand. First we meet Ahmed in the ... Show More
50m 34s
Jul 7
Rick Steves' Europe: Rick Steves (2021)
Rick Steves spent the summer after high school backpacking through Europe on two dollars a day—sleeping on the floor, sneaking into museums, and subsisting on a diet of bread and jam. When he came home, he found people were hungry for tips on how to visit Europe on the cheap, so ... Show More
1h 17m
Jul 3
Advice Line with Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company (August 2024)
Boston Beer Company founder Jim Koch joins Guy on the Advice Line, where they answer questions from three founders about finding product-market fit.Today, we meet Kim, whose tropical-inspired apparel company in Florida is venturing into the rum market. Then Llance from Washington ... Show More
51m 11s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
How to Reclaim Focus in the Age of Distraction | Johann Hari
Does it feel impossible to concentrate these days? You're not alone. In this fascinating discussion, the author of Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention - and How to Think Deeply Again reveals the hidden forces conspiring to hijack our attention spans. From predatory tech pla ... Show More
1h 8m
Jan 2022
How To Fix Your Focus & Stop Procrastinating: Johann Hari
Johann Hari is a journalist and author of Lost Connections, a book which changed the way I think about depression and mental health. His new book, Stolen Focus, is about what people can do in order to improve their focus, and about what we can all do to stop our attention being r ... Show More
1h 39m
Apr 2022
Why You Can’t Pay Attention - And How to Think Deeply Again | Johann Hari
New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers. --- What is it about modern life that is completely disrupting our ability to focus, and how much of it is our fault?    Turns out, not a lot. A number of factor ... Show More
1h 19m
May 2022
Johann Hari | Why You Can’t Pay Attention (and how to get it back)
I’ve come to believe that the quality and richness of our lives is, in no small part, determined by the depth and quality of our attention. If it’s massively distracted, perpetually spinning out, and focused on negativity, that will also largely be the state of our lives, regardl ... Show More
1h 7m
Feb 2022
Johann Hari On Why You Can’t Pay Attention (& How To Reclaim Your Focus)
We are living in a time of upgraded technology and downgraded humans.Our collective ability to resist distraction and sustain attention is in decline.Although will power plays a role, this problem is not entirely our fault—it’s the by-product of powerful forces incident to modern ... Show More
2h 23m
Mar 2022
Johann Hari: Stolen Focus Pt. 1
Oprah talks to journalist and author Johann Hari about his New York Times bestselling new book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention and How to Think Deeply Again. Johann explains why there are 12 forces working to distract us and steal our focus. Johann tells Oprah why so m ... Show More
53m 44s
Jan 2022
#228 Johann Hari on How To Reclaim Your Attention
CAUTION: Contains swearing and themes of an adult nature. Why have we lost our ability to focus? What are the causes? And, most importantly, how do we get it back? Today’s guest and author of the brilliant new book, Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention, went on a three-year ... Show More
2h 37m
Feb 2022
Johann Hari On Why You Can’t Pay Attention (& How To Reclaim Your Focus)
We are living in a time of upgraded technology and downgraded humans. Our collective ability to resist distraction and sustain attention is in decline. Although will power plays a role, this problem is not entirely our fault—it’s the by-product of powerful forces incident to mode ... Show More
2h 20m
Aug 2023
S29 E1: “Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again” by Johann Hari
You may have noticed that the kind of focus we all need to get stuff done is harder and harder to come by. But fear not. To help you get back on track, we've called in some of the smartest writers we know to give us their take on the attention crisis and what we can do about it. ... Show More
12m 27s
Jan 2022
Johann Hari on Stolen Focus and Attention
Johann Hari is a writer and journalist. He has written for the New York Times, Le Monde, the Guardian, and other newspapers and his TED talks have been viewed over seventy million times. His work has been praised by a broad range of people, from Oprah Winfrey to Noam Chomsky to J ... Show More
1h 3m