Twenty years ago, people could stay focused on a computer task for 2.5 minutes. Now? Just 47 seconds. That’s a 69 percent drop in focus.

A new national survey of 1,000 people, conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in May 2025, found that three in four U.S. adults report struggling to focus.

Most blamed stress and anxiety, followed by poor sleep and constant digital distractions—at 43 percent, 39 percent, and 35 percent, respectively.

Dr. Evita Singh, a psychiatrist at Ohio State, told The Epoch Times that the combination of chronic stress, sleep deprivation, and digital interruptions is reshaping how Americans think, work, and interact.

“It becomes really hard to stay in the present and focus on what’s right in front of you,” Singh said. Although it feels like scattered focus, it’s more likely a constant state of attention overload.

It’s not just one thing pulling focus—it’s everything. The survey also found that Americans point to multitasking, boredom, poor diet and hydration, low physical activity, and even health concerns such as ADHD for their difficulty concentrating.

“Patients often say, ‘I can’t focus—something must be wrong with me,’” Singh said. “But often the issue isn’t attention in a clinical sense. It’s exhaustion. It’s attention overload.”

Multitasking, in particular, is often mistaken for productivity—but it may actually be draining focus. Singh said that it often divides attention, making it harder to stay in the present.

“There’s just a lot coming at people, and the brain is being asked to manage all of it in real time,” she said.

However, focus is a skill, according to experts, and like any skill, it can be retrained.

Shorter Focus, Higher Stress

Stress is one of the biggest focus killers. And few people have studied that link more closely than psychologist Gloria Mark, a professor at the University of California–Irvine who has spent two decades studying how people focus—and why they lose it.

What Singh sees in patients, Mark measures in data. Using wearable sensors and digital activity logs, her team has tracked attention spans in real-world work environments, minute by minute.

Mark’s research in 2016, independent of the Ohio State survey, found that the average time that people spend on a single online task has dropped sharply—from two minutes and 30 seconds to just 47 seconds.

The shortened attention span results in frequent task-switching, she said, which further disrupts attention by leaving behind what she calls “attention residue”—thoughts from the previous task that linger and make it harder to fully engage with the next one.

“We’ve found a strong correlation between short attention spans and high stress levels,” Mark told The Epoch Times.

In her book “Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity,” Mark reveals that our focus problems aren’t just external. Internal chatter, such as worries, regrets, and endless to-do lists, creates a mental storm that makes staying present nearly impossible.

Some people are especially vulnerable. Mark’s research found that those who scored high in neuroticism—a personality trait associated with chronic worry and emotional reactivity—had the shortest attention spans.

These people tend to be more mentally preoccupied, which can make it harder to concentrate.

When Fatigue Feels Like Forgetfulness

Sleep deprivation is the second most commonly reported drain on attention—and it can dull focus just as sharply as stress.

Poor sleep doesn’t just make you tired—it hijacks your ability to concentrate so dramatically that many adults now wonder if they have ADHD. However, what they’re often experiencing, according to Singh, is the mental fallout of non-stop exhaustion.

“Sleep is when your brain makes and stores memories,” she said. “If you’re not sleeping well, you’re not storing those memories—which then makes it harder to concentrate or remember things, and that ultimately affects attention span.”

Deep, restful sleep also helps regulate emotions and keep small distractions from becoming overwhelming.

“When people are sleep-deprived, “even small interruptions can feel overwhelming,” Singh said.

Sleep deprivation creates a vicious cycle: Poor focus leads to stress about falling behind, which disrupts sleep—and further erodes focus. Singh said she regularly sees patients who assume that they have an attention disorder when the real problem is exhaustion.

Email–The Hidden Attention Killer

Digital distraction was the third most commonly reported source of lost focus.

While social media often gets the blame for distraction, Mark’s research points to a more persistent attention saboteur: email.

“We’ve logged every kind of computer usage, and the most consistent stress trigger we’ve found is email,” Mark said. “As soon as people open their inbox, their heart rate increases [which is a sign of rising stress]. When they close it, stress levels begin to recover.”

Email isn’t just a digital to-do list, it’s a constant source of unfinished tasks, decisions, and interruptions.

In one field study, Mark’s team asked employees to go five days without checking email at work. The results were fewer task switches and significantly lower stress levels.

“They were able to focus longer,” she said.

How to Reclaim Your Focus

Understanding what’s pulling your attention in every direction is only the first step. Attention can be retrained—with intention and consistency. While there’s no overnight fix, even small changes practiced regularly can begin to restore your ability to focus.

Tune In to Tune Out

In her Substack, “The Future of Attention,” Mark explores ways to train the brain to focus better. Her favorite practice for restoring attention begins with building meta-awareness—the ability to recognize where your mind is going in real time.

“So many things we do are automatic,” Mark told The Epoch Times. “You see your phone and pick it up without thinking.”

She calls this automatic attention—when external cues hijack your brain. The goal, she said, is to shift toward voluntary attention—the kind you use when you’re deeply engaged in something you choose, such as reading, problem-solving, or creating. Meta-awareness is the bridge between the two.

“You see a notification, and instead of clicking immediately, you pause,” she said. “You ask: Do I actually need to respond right now?”

Mark also recommended visualizing your future self and how you want to feel at the end of the day. “If your goal is to feel calm or accomplished, ask whether staying up late to scroll is helping you get there,” she said.

When the workday ends, don’t just log off of email—mentally detach. Mark recommended avoiding email and work-related messages after hours.

“It’s not just about boundaries,” she said. “It’s about giving your brain time to recover—so when you log back in the next day, you can focus more easily.”

Take 5: A Mental Reset

To help people put that awareness into practice, Singh teaches a tool that she calls “Take Five”—a practical method designed to reset the brain and reclaim the present.

• T: Take frequent breaks: Just five minutes of fresh air, movement, or music can interrupt the buildup of stress and refresh your mind.


• A: Actively engage: When your thoughts start to drift, gently steer your attention back to the task at hand.


• K: Keep distractions low: Avoid jumping between open tabs, emails, or conversations, so your brain doesn’t splinter.


• E: Eliminate multitasking: Where possible, batch tasks and mute notifications. You’re more efficient—and less mentally depleted—when you do one thing at a time.


• Five: Take five minutes to refocus: Feeling scattered? Step away briefly, then return with clearer intention. “The key,” Singh said, “is to recharge without slipping into avoidance.” Such as letting a short break turn into an hour of procrastination.

A Marathon, Not a Sprint

For anyone feeling behind, overloaded, or discouraged, Singh offered one final reminder: Be kind to yourself.

“No one is meant to run at 100 percent all the time,” she said. “You might look at someone else and think they’re doing everything right—but you don’t know their inner story. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.”

Like any marathon, Singh said, you have to pace yourself so you don’t end up completely out of breath.

Your attention isn’t broken. It just needs space—and a little time—to catch its breath.