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Reading these articles makes me depressed. They demonstrate how hamstrung we are by our genes. Is there a way we can exploit this to improve our attention spans

Reading these articles makes me depressed. They demonstrate how hamstrung we are by our genes. Is there a way we can exploit this to improve our attention spans? Because my attention span could use some improvement (I'm on HN right now :(

Mo3 11y ago
Yes, start meditating. Meditation is scientifically proven to make use of your neuroplasticity, improve it and rewire your brain. I am diagnosed ADHD-PI and meditation over time corrected my symptoms to a level at which I function completely normally without any medication. Oh, and it will make your life a hundred times nicer in general :)
- arthulia 11y ago
  Any tips for learning to meditate correctly?
  - Mo3 11y ago
    Yes, read "Meditation for dummies" and "The power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. There's also a book called "The mindfulness approach to attention deficit" or something like that which you might wanna check out. Also, /r/meditation :)
  - mettamage 11y ago
    Read Search Inside Yourself written by former Google employee Chade-Meng Tan. I recommend his book, because it summarized everything I knew in one book. Besides good ideas about meditation the book is humoristic and scientific. Also, going to a meditation retreat really helps :)
- deleted 11y ago
  [deleted]
danharaj 11y ago
> They demonstrate how hamstrung we are by our genes. They can't really do that because the space of possible environments, daily habits, and upbringings is much, much bigger than what is practiced by people in the present and that space is much, much bigger than the space that is practical and ethical to investigate scientifically. That said, if you want to improve your attention, then you have to assume that it's possible for you to explore that space and find a solution that is better for you. Being a pessimist will hold you back, so be an optimist: you can improve the endurance and quality of your attentiveness.
- pharrington 11y ago
  >That said, if you want to improve your attention, then you have to assume that it's possible for you to explore that space and find a solution that is better for you. Rephrased: assuming some combination of genetics and environment are overwhelmingly responsible for your ability to concentrate, and you have no control over the former, then a significant part of the latter (currently) is people positively affecting your ability to concentrate. gp: Read a book, slowly.
grandalf 11y ago
Most of the genes that can be mildly harmful must also be mildly (or more) helpful, perhaps in some other domain, or else they would have become far less prevalent over time.
threatofrain 11y ago
In this case they're talking about your biology (brain), which is even more proximal than your DNA. It does make sense that your mind cannot be free from the brain, right?

Mo3 11y ago

Yes, start meditating. Meditation is scientifically proven to make use of your neuroplasticity, improve it and rewire your brain. I am diagnosed ADHD-PI and meditation over time corrected my symptoms to a level at which I function completely normally without any medication. Oh, and it will make your life a hundred times nicer in general :)

arthulia 11y ago
Any tips for learning to meditate correctly?
- Mo3 11y ago
  Yes, read "Meditation for dummies" and "The power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle. There's also a book called "The mindfulness approach to attention deficit" or something like that which you might wanna check out. Also, /r/meditation :)
- mettamage 11y ago
  Read Search Inside Yourself written by former Google employee Chade-Meng Tan. I recommend his book, because it summarized everything I knew in one book. Besides good ideas about meditation the book is humoristic and scientific. Also, going to a meditation retreat really helps :)
deleted 11y ago
[deleted]

danharaj 11y ago

> They demonstrate how hamstrung we are by our genes. They can't really do that because the space of possible environments, daily habits, and upbringings is much, much bigger than what is practiced by people in the present and that space is much, much bigger than the space that is practical and ethical to investigate scientifically. That said, if you want to improve your attention, then you have to assume that it's possible for you to explore that space and find a solution that is better for you. Being a pessimist will hold you back, so be an optimist: you can improve the endurance and quality of your attentiveness.

pharrington 11y ago
>That said, if you want to improve your attention, then you have to assume that it's possible for you to explore that space and find a solution that is better for you. Rephrased: assuming some combination of genetics and environment are overwhelmingly responsible for your ability to concentrate, and you have no control over the former, then a significant part of the latter (currently) is people positively affecting your ability to concentrate. gp: Read a book, slowly.

grandalf 11y ago

Most of the genes that can be mildly harmful must also be mildly (or more) helpful, perhaps in some other domain, or else they would have become far less prevalent over time.

threatofrain 11y ago

In this case they're talking about your biology (brain), which is even more proximal than your DNA. It does make sense that your mind cannot be free from the brain, right?