Why We Tune Out and What to Do About It
Explore what happens to us when we are distracted, and how this impacts our attention, listening and productivity.
Cognitive load theory
First proposed by John Sweller in 1988, cognitive load theory posits that the human brain has a limited capacity for processing information in our working memory.
“In order to truly listen, we must first learn to quiet our minds.”
Shakti Gawain.
Our cognitive load increases when learning something new or taking in complex information. Our working memory works hard to process all the incoming data. High cognitive load can overwhelm us, and our brains may start to shut down or tune out.
High cognitive load can lead to difficulty with comprehension and, ultimately, to distraction. As important as this is for instructional design, let’s bring this back to our throughline about listening.
It is harder to listen and remain present when we feel cognitively overloaded. If we try to process too much information at once, we may start to tune out or get distracted.
