Average Canadian Has Attention Span of Only Eight Seconds

A new study shows that our attention spans might be getting even shorter than we thought.

Microsoft studied Canadians to see what kind of impact digital media is having on attention spans. Their findings? Though the average human attention span in 2000 was 12 seconds, the new research says that number has dropped to only 8 seconds.

The study shows that 44 per cent of Canadians have to really concentrate to stay focused on tasks, while 45 per cent easily get sidetracked from what they’re doing.

Though some might say it’s just “kids these days”, Microsoft says that’s not true. Rather, attention is impacted by media consumption, social media usage, technology adoption, and multi-screening behaviour. Half of Canadian respondents automatically reach for a phone when nothing else is occupying their attention, while 59 per cent say they’d feel lost without their everyday devices.

Though this study could seem bleak, Microsoft says that there’s actually a lot of hope. Though digital behaviours seem to negatively affect focus for extended periods of time, Microsoft says that those savvy Canadians are training themselves to actually process information more efficiently through short bursts of high attention.

What do you think changing attention spans mean for Canadians? Or did you even get this far? Let us know in the comments, and check out the study here.