-
Stolen Focus
- Why You Can't Pay Attention
- Narrated by: Johann Hari
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $19.63
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
Bloomsbury presents Stolen Focus by Johann Hari, read by Johann Hari.
Why have we lost our ability to focus? What are the causes? And, most importantly, how do we get it back?
For Stolen Focus, internationally best-selling author Johann Hari went on a three-year journey to uncover the reasons why our teenagers now focus on one task for only 65 seconds, and why office workers on average manage only three minutes. He interviewed the leading experts in the world on attention and learned that everything we think about this subject is wrong.
We think our inability to focus is a personal failing—a flaw in each one of us. It is not. This has been done to all of us by powerful external forces. Our focus has been stolen. Johann discovered there are 12 deep cases of this crisis, all of which have robbed some of our attention. He shows us how in a thrilling journey that ranges from Silicon Valley dissidents, to a favela in Rio where attention vanished, to an office in New Zealand that found a remarkable way to restore our attention.
Crucially, he learned how—as individuals and as a society—we can get our focus back, if we are determined to fight for it.
Critic reviews
"Johann Hari writes like a dream. He’s both lyricist and storyteller—but also an indefatigable investigator of one of the world’s greatest problems: the systematic destruction of our attention. Read this book to save your mind." (Susan Cain)
"A really important book.... Everyone should read it." (Philippa Perry)
"A beautifully researched and argued exploration of the breakdown of humankind's ability to pay attention." (Stephen Fry)
Related to this topic
-
The Definition of Beautiful
- A Memoir
- By: Charlotte Bellows
- Narrated by: Charlotte Bellows
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Bellows wrote The Definition of Beautiful between the ages of 15 and 17, in the wake of lockdown and in recovery from anorexia. In the tradition of Sylvia Plath in The Bell Jar and Françoise Sagan in Bonjour Tristesse, Bellows writes with deceptively straightforward urgency, pushing through society's constraints on the bodies and minds of girls and women to offer a story both achingly familiar and devastatingly new.
-
-
Just so beautiful
- By Amazon Customer on 09-19-24
-
The Finnish Guide to Happiness
- By: Melanie Dower
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If you ask a Finn, they will likely be as baffled as you are. That’s why Melanie Dower, an expat who has been living in Finland for the past decade, has taken up the charge. Her vantage as an outsider entrenched in Finnish culture uniquely positions her to identify the keys to Finnish happiness that elude the rest of the world and that Finns take for granted. From sauna to strong social safety nets, Finnish life is made up of a constellation of habits and structures that leave its residents relaxed, healthy, and fulfilled.
-
-
Insightful!
- By Amazon Customer on 09-18-24
By: Melanie Dower
-
How to Stop People-Pleasing
- By: The Great Courses, Wind Goodfriend
- Narrated by: Wind Goodfriend
- Length: 2 hrs and 40 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all want to be liked and appreciated by the people around us, but some of us may let this desire dictate our choices and behaviors in a way that can become unhealthy. In How to Stop People-Pleasing, psychology professor Dr. Wind Goodfriend examines what drives many of us to sacrifice our well-being to please others and offers guidance on how you can set healthy boundaries and start prioritizing yourself.
-
-
concise and eye-opening discussion of psychological theory and real world application
- By Justin Abel Nordstrom on 09-20-24
By: The Great Courses, and others
-
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
- A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
- By: Lori Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.
-
-
It was like a hallmark movie being waterboarded into my ears for 15 hours
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-19
By: Lori Gottlieb
-
The Unappreciated Power of Naps
- By: Jade Wu, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jade Wu
- Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Unappreciated Power of Naps, sleep researcher and clinical psychologist Dr. Jade Wu will uncover the truth about napping and its amazing benefits for both mind and body. Across six revealing lectures, you’ll examine what science tells us about the benefits—and, yes, the potential downsides—of napping.
-
-
I got a detailed understanding of nap and how important it is to sleep and health.
- By Hansle on 09-07-24
By: Jade Wu, and others
-
The Obesity Code
- Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss
- By: Dr. Jason Fung
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this highly listenable and provocative book, Dr. Jason Fung sets out an original, robust theory of obesity that provides startling insights into proper nutrition. In addition to his five basic steps - a set of lifelong habits that will improve your health and control your insulin levels - Dr. Fung explains how to use intermittent fasting to break the cycle of insulin resistance and reach a healthy weight - for good.
-
-
There is a PDF, Folks
- By Cynthia on 06-27-17
By: Dr. Jason Fung
-
The Definition of Beautiful
- A Memoir
- By: Charlotte Bellows
- Narrated by: Charlotte Bellows
- Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Charlotte Bellows wrote The Definition of Beautiful between the ages of 15 and 17, in the wake of lockdown and in recovery from anorexia. In the tradition of Sylvia Plath in The Bell Jar and Françoise Sagan in Bonjour Tristesse, Bellows writes with deceptively straightforward urgency, pushing through society's constraints on the bodies and minds of girls and women to offer a story both achingly familiar and devastatingly new.
-
-
Just so beautiful
- By Amazon Customer on 09-19-24
-
The Finnish Guide to Happiness
- By: Melanie Dower
- Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 2 hrs and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
If you ask a Finn, they will likely be as baffled as you are. That’s why Melanie Dower, an expat who has been living in Finland for the past decade, has taken up the charge. Her vantage as an outsider entrenched in Finnish culture uniquely positions her to identify the keys to Finnish happiness that elude the rest of the world and that Finns take for granted. From sauna to strong social safety nets, Finnish life is made up of a constellation of habits and structures that leave its residents relaxed, healthy, and fulfilled.
-
-
Insightful!
- By Amazon Customer on 09-18-24
By: Melanie Dower
-
How to Stop People-Pleasing
- By: The Great Courses, Wind Goodfriend
- Narrated by: Wind Goodfriend
- Length: 2 hrs and 40 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We all want to be liked and appreciated by the people around us, but some of us may let this desire dictate our choices and behaviors in a way that can become unhealthy. In How to Stop People-Pleasing, psychology professor Dr. Wind Goodfriend examines what drives many of us to sacrifice our well-being to please others and offers guidance on how you can set healthy boundaries and start prioritizing yourself.
-
-
concise and eye-opening discussion of psychological theory and real world application
- By Justin Abel Nordstrom on 09-20-24
By: The Great Courses, and others
-
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone
- A Therapist, HER Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed
- By: Lori Gottlieb
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.
-
-
It was like a hallmark movie being waterboarded into my ears for 15 hours
- By Amazon Customer on 10-01-19
By: Lori Gottlieb
-
The Unappreciated Power of Naps
- By: Jade Wu, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Jade Wu
- Length: 2 hrs and 35 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Unappreciated Power of Naps, sleep researcher and clinical psychologist Dr. Jade Wu will uncover the truth about napping and its amazing benefits for both mind and body. Across six revealing lectures, you’ll examine what science tells us about the benefits—and, yes, the potential downsides—of napping.
-
-
I got a detailed understanding of nap and how important it is to sleep and health.
- By Hansle on 09-07-24
By: Jade Wu, and others
-
The Obesity Code
- Unlocking the Secrets of Weight Loss
- By: Dr. Jason Fung
- Narrated by: Brian Nishii
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this highly listenable and provocative book, Dr. Jason Fung sets out an original, robust theory of obesity that provides startling insights into proper nutrition. In addition to his five basic steps - a set of lifelong habits that will improve your health and control your insulin levels - Dr. Fung explains how to use intermittent fasting to break the cycle of insulin resistance and reach a healthy weight - for good.
-
-
There is a PDF, Folks
- By Cynthia on 06-27-17
By: Dr. Jason Fung
-
How to Train Your Mind
- Exploring the Productivity Benefits of Meditation
- By: Chris Bailey
- Narrated by: Chris Bailey
- Length: 3 hrs and 18 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meditation makes you more productive because it lets you earn back time. For each minute you spend meditating, you'll earn around nine minutes back, as Chris Bailey - author of The Productivity Project and Hyperfocus - will show in this candid and counter-intuitive guide to the productivity benefits of meditation.
-
-
Started Listening By Accident
- By T.D.Willis on 01-17-21
By: Chris Bailey
-
Take Control of Your Life
- How to Silence Fear and Win the Mental Game
- By: Mel Robbins
- Narrated by: Mel Robbins
- Length: 10 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Mel Robbins is back! The international bestselling phenomenon and creator of The Five Second Rule and Kick Ass with Mel Robbins returns to help you tackle the single biggest obstacle you face: fear. This life-changing Audible Original features a powerful mix of one-on-one life-coaching sessions and a personal narrative with vital take-aways that you can start using immediately.
-
-
Stop living in fear
- By Nike7 on 02-08-19
By: Mel Robbins
-
Fitness Confidential
- By: Vinnie Tortorich
- Narrated by: Vinnie Tortorich
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
America's Angriest Trainer, Vinnie Tortorich, exposes the nasty underbelly of the fitness industry while getting you into the best shape of your life. For over 20 years, Vinnie has been Hollywood's go-to guy for celebrities and athletes looking to get fit fast. Now, in this hilarious and often R-rated memoir, he holds nothing back. What's the best piece of fitness equipment money can buy? What's the fastest way to lose weight: diet or exercise? Why are health clubs worse than used car lots? In Fitness Confidential, Vinnie tells all.
-
-
Its a good listen despite being totally misleading
- By Scottiiee665 on 11-11-13
By: Vinnie Tortorich
-
Mini Habits for Weight Loss
- Stop Dieting. Form New Habits. Change Your Lifestyle Without Suffering.
- By: Stephen Guise
- Narrated by: Daniel Penz
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You will never diet again. Say goodbye to calorie counting, restrictive food bans, or other forced behaviors. In Mini Habits for Weight Loss, you will learn how to lose weight naturally in the precise way your body and brain are meant to change.
-
-
Skip the first half!
- By Cecil on 06-02-17
By: Stephen Guise
-
How to Release Anxiety
- By: Gabrielle Bernstein
- Narrated by: Gabrielle Bernstein
- Length: 1 hr and 29 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s not just you. Stress levels are at an all-time high—so much so that a recently convened panel of medical experts in the US has recommended that all adults under the age of 65 be screened for anxiety. In How to Release Anxiety, Gabby Bernstein offers simple, actionable steps for feeling better, living with more ease, and showing up for those around us. Gabby’s unusual advice: Rather than manage your anxiety, what if you befriended it? Gabby posits that what we befriend, we can ultimately be at ease with. So she invites us to get curious.
-
-
Not my thing, but one good point
- By Scott on 10-22-22
-
The Gift of Fear
- Survival Signals That Protect Us from Violence
- By: Gavin de Becker
- Narrated by: Gavin de Becker
- Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
These days, no one in America feels immune to violence. But now, in this extraordinary, groundbreaking book, the nation's leading expert on predicting violent behavior unlocks the puzzle of human violence and shows that, like every creature on earth, we have within us the ability to predict the harm others might do us and get out of its way. Contrary to popular myth, human violence almost always has a discernible motive and is preceded by clear warning signs.
-
-
Decent book severely undermined by last chapter.
- By zachary on 11-01-22
By: Gavin de Becker
What listeners say about Stolen Focus
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stuart C
- 12-15-22
An eye opener
This book is a real eye opener, overwhelming at times.
I have had issues with focus and was looking for something to help with that. This book is not a self help book but it really goes deep into the topic. It provides so much information which I really enjoyed. Well done
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Michael Alf
- 08-13-22
Must read to gain back your life
An incredibly well researched and written book about one of the biggest crisis of our time - losing our attention.
How can we solve climate change without our attention?
We cannot.
And this week is a start on a journey back.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Adrian Allen
- 10-04-22
It’s time to reconnect
I’m guilt of it and I need to make changes.
This audiobook offer just that
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 02-12-24
Shocking truths and shockingly confrontational
Good reading voice, the author, and very interesting gathering of processes working against our well being, development and growth. Thank you very much, mr Hari!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Miss
- 03-09-22
Profound and important
At last a book on an all-to-important subject that doesn’t linger, harp on the same point over and over or adds “fluff” for something that could be explained in less than a couple of hours.
Johann goes dives deep into the subject of attention and lost focus in the 21st century. Unlike many self-help books out there, he admits that he’s not always walking is talk. That to me is refreshing.
He displays an abundant volume of knowledge on the topic.
He also proves to listeners that he’s done the homework by analyzing the data captured during numerous expert interviews he conducted in an effort to uncover the science behind our focus problems and the human mind.
One thing particularly stuck with me which I’ll paraphrase: “Our economy relies on sleep depriving people to be able to grow.”
I found this book profound, important and relevant to every human living in the internet era.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Nuno
- 02-02-23
An excellent perspective on how we lost focus
Excellent book on explaining why we are having so much difficulty in maintaining focus. Johann carefully presents different scientific research on the why (which is the result of different "forces"), with a genuine preoccupation in presenting conflicting views when those are present. Nevertheless, and that's the reason why is a 4 star review (and not a 5 star), is that at the end the "revolutionary" prescription is, in my humble opinion, a little biased, and very much anchored on the idea that we all had very healthy lives 100/50/30 years ago and know we are at the brink of collapse because of technology and capitalism. Other than this bias and excessive simplicity, this is an excellent book with a very, very important message
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Ken
- 12-27-22
Insightful book
Well researched book that challenges our quick fix medication-first culture. Engaging narration by the author.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 01-02-23
Stolen Focus
At first, i thought i would blame solely on phones and internet for the deteriorating of our focus. After reading this, i was enlightened that phones and internet are only part of a much bigger problem. I give it 5 stars as I feel that this book is a compendium of many other well-known non-fiction books that I have read and plan to read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Eugene
- 07-04-24
Struggling with concentration?
"Stolen Focus" is an interesting book that explains why it's so hard to pay attention nowadays. Author combines his own experiences with expert insights to show how technology, social media, and even our diet are impacting our focus. It's a quick read that made me rethink my relationship with my devices and habits. If you're struggling with concentration, this book is worth checking out.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Anonymous User
- 07-29-24
Amazing!!!
Must read for everyone!!! This is the second book I read by the author. Lost Connections is also great! A lot of journalism and investigations and not only opinions.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!