Why you probably won’t make it all the way through this newsletter

The average US knowledge worker spends 47 seconds on any one computer, phone, or tablet screen before switching to another screen, per new research from scientists at UC Berkeley and Microsoft, which also found attention spans have been shrinking in America for nearly two decades.

🧠 More details… The researchers have used sophisticated computer logging techniques to measure Microsoft employees’ attention spans dating back to 2004.

When they first started, workers averaged 150 seconds on one screen before switching to another. By 2012, that number had declined to 75 seconds – and by 2021, it was 47 seconds, with the average worker checking their email inboxes 77 times per day.

• From Gen Z to Boomer, and from entry-level worker to CEO, the researchers observed a similar decline in attention span across all age groups and job positions.
• They also cited other studies over the same period that replicated their results within three seconds.

📸 Big picture: Still with us? Great😅. We just have one more fact to share: according to a Microsoft Canada study, the average human attention span fell nearly 25% from 2000–2015 to reach 8.25 seconds – or a lower attention span than a goldfish. (Though some scientists have pushed back on that claim.)