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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

Our capacity to pay attention is in unprecedented decline. Johann Hari, bestselling author of Chasing the Scream and Lost Connections, explores the alarming reasons behind our diminishing ability to focus—and reveals how we can regain control of it.

Praised as “the book the world needs to win the struggle against distraction” by Adam Grant, author of Think Again, and described by Susan Cain, author of Quiet, as essential reading “to save your mind,” this insightful work has been recognized with the Porchlight Business Book Award and named among the year’s best books by outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Post, Mashable, and Mindful.

In the United States today, the focus span of teenagers lasts a mere 65 seconds, while office workers typically maintain attention for only three minutes at a time. Johann Hari personally felt the damaging effects of continually shifting from screens, devices, and tasks—a constant distraction which left him feeling increasingly depleted and unhappy. After experiments with conventional advice, including giving up his smartphone entirely for three months, Hari remained stuck in the same frustrating cycle.

Determined to get to the heart of the crisis, he traveled the globe speaking with renowned experts on human focus. What he discovered overturns mainstream assumptions: the inability to concentrate isn’t solely a personal flaw or an issue of individual willpower. Instead, a far more troubling reality exists: powerful corporate forces have systematically undermined our attention, targeting it as a commodity for profit.

Through compelling research, Hari identifies twelve significant causes currently undermining our focus, including environmental pollution and the disappearance of idle, imaginative time. He introduces readers to extraordinary people on the frontline of attention recovery—Silicon Valley insiders who revealed techniques for manipulating focus, veterinarians diagnosing pets with ADHD, individuals navigating surreal attention breakdowns in Brazilian favelas, and a pioneering company in New Zealand that unlocked new ways to sustain productivity.

Ultimately, Stolen Focus presents clear pathways for reclaiming our capacity for sustained attention, highlighting both individual solutions and the broader societal changes required. Hari lays out a powerful call to action, urging readers everywhere to once again take back their focus—and change the future of our distracted world.