Attention

Attention is central to everything we do and think; yet it is usually invisible, transparent, lost behind our fixation with content. We pay attention to this and that moment or we let our attention wander, but we rarely give attention to the process of attending and distraction. It is typically viewed instrumentally, in terms of what it can achieve, and so its process and practice are overlooked, yet it is central to neuroplasticity - the brain's ability to create new neural pathways in order to adapt - and underlies both the mindfulness revolution and the concern about the influence of new social and digital media.