Poor Mental Fitness Could Be the Reason You Can’t Concentrate

Originally published by Newsweek

You’ve tracked your sleep, know your optimum vitals and obsess over hitting your physical goals - yet you still feel drained.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. While many people have become masters of their physical health through tracking apps and wearable devices, the increasing dependence on monitoring progress, coupled with constant digital task-switching is taking its toll mentally.

Around 1 in 10 young adults in the U.S. say they struggle with cognitive issues, according to researchers from Yale School of Medicine and partner institutions. And, a decade-long study published in Neurology in 2023 revealed that a growing number of adults under 40 say they have experienced “serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions."

One of the things taking a toll on our brain's fitness is the always-on mentality. We’re tuned into our devices 24/7 meaning we solve quick tasks before getting out of bed, respond to messages while waiting in line and seek answers at the touch of a button - even if we should be focusing on those we’re physically present with, driving a car or walking down the street.

For some, it’s creating a chaotic state, in which it’s become easy to “confuse responsiveness with productivity”, said Oscar Asly, Group CEO of global investment services provider M4Markets.

He told Newsweek: “Leaders jump between Slack, WhatsApp, email, dashboards, meetings and now AI tools, often without finishing one thought before starting another. I see it in global businesses all the time: people are processing more inputs than ever, but that does not necessarily mean they are making better decisions. Technology has accelerated faster than our working habits have adapted.”

While advancements in AI have the potential to streamline workflows and free up time, there’s the possibility that becoming too reliant on such tools could be detrimental to our cognitive function and ability to come up with creative solutions independently.

“AI should enhance your thinking, not replace it,” said Asly. “The danger isn’t using AI too much; it’s outsourcing your judgment. If we stop challenging answers and wrestling with difficult problems ourselves, we become faster, but not necessarily smarter. The winners will be the people who combine AI’s speed with human curiosity, experience and independent thinking.”

Although technology provides endless possibilities for distraction and many apps and websites are purposefully designed to steal our attention and keep us engaged, the onus remains on us to take responsibility for how much we use them.

Chris Beale is a chartered psychologist at Nightingale Hospital in London whose treatments include technology addiction. He told Newsweek: “It is certainly harder to not 'always be on' but not impossible. I'm as guilty as anyone else in terms of being distracted by tech innovation, including AI. It is easy to go down a rabbit hole, following something that is interesting but not relevant to the task. Hours can be lost.

“This represents a huge chunk of what my clients struggle with - how to stay focused, sleep better and function better amongst all the distractions. This is where psychologists can really assist, by helping clients identify what is important to them and to structure their lives in a way that better supports their goals. That inevitably includes re-thinking how best to use tech.”

Researchers are only just beginning to delve into the long-term impact of AI and it may take years before we know how it will truly affect cognitive function, but Beale is already encouraging clients to take a pro-active approach and be less reliant on digital tools.

“For me personally, I try to avoid relying on search engines when I can't remember something. I encourage clients to do this too, I suggest to them: 'let your brain try first'.”

Implementing periods of time where you are able to ‘think without interruption’, is also important, according to Asly. He said: “In my experience, some of the best strategic decisions don’t come from reacting faster, they come from protecting uninterrupted time to think.”

Workplaces also have a responsibility to not place unrealistic demands on their employees, says Asly.

“I run a global business, so there will always be another market awake, another message and another issue that feels urgent,” he said. “But if the CEO behaves as though everyone should be permanently available, that culture spreads very quickly. We cannot complain about mental fatigue while rewarding instant replies at midnight.The goal should be high performance, not permanent connectivity.”