How well do we pay attention?

I recently discovered by taking an online assessment that my attention span might be a tad less than I had previously thought.

How can this be? I work in marketing. We all know that this business requires meticulous attention to detail and I pride myself on my ability to multitask and manage multiple projects like a symphony conductor. Give me any other attention measurement test and I will prove it to you. I will ace the test and impress you with my abilities. You cannot sneak a gorilla in on me. (If you don’t understand this reference, even though I’ve given away the punch line, you can still go to: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJG698U2Mvo).

All these statements are true. I can focus, zone in, manage the details, juggle a multitude of projects…all of that.  But, what happens when presented a series of questions where I am asked to self-report my behavior? Do I glance at the TV while my husband is talking to me and miss his point? Ok, yes.  Do I sometimes read email while on the phone. Guilty. These weren’t actually questions on the test, but they represent the point. These type of behaviors illustrate that we do things that can deflate our attention.

The attention span measurement test I took was from Psychology Today. The site states that it contains 10 questions and it takes 5 minutes, but it really only takes about a minute, so even if you have a very short attention span you should be able to get through the test. You can check it out yourself at: http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=3361.  Personally, my less than desirable score really got my attention.