The word distraction has two meanings. It is said that there is a distraction when a person stops paying attention to an activity. It is also used in another sense, when someone is entertained by doing an activity that is pleasant and pleasurable.
Having a distraction is something that happens very frequently in daily life and it is a totally daily act. Distraction occurs in relation to the phenomenon of attention. Psychology studies all kinds of human behavior and attention is analyzed because it is decisive in any intellectual activity. Through the senses we perceive what surrounds us. External stimuli and the ability to perceive are the two elements involved in attention. Let’s sit imaginarily in a classroom. We are a student who listens to the history teacher. Through perception our senses participate in paying attention to the teacher’s words. After a few minutes, our interest decreases because what the teacher tells us is boring. Well, the moment in which attention is diminished or altered is precisely the distraction.
What elements cause distraction in attention? The most frequent is the lack of intensity of the stimulus. But there are many other aspects that can cause distraction: lack of interest, mood, repetition of the message, size of the observed element and all kinds of external and internal factors that participate in the attention process.
Every day we receive advertising messages. In a few seconds, these messages try to capture our interest and each element of the ad is designed to attract the attention of the consumer: images, music, colors, words… Advertisers know the techniques well so that attention is maintained without any distraction from potential buyers. A good advertising message is one that translates into economic benefits for the advertised brand and, ultimately, the effectiveness of the advertisement will depend on the level of distraction for the consumer. If there is no distraction, the attention is intense, the advertisement is assimilated and the product is consumed.
In recent decades, much has been said about a problem that affects distraction. It is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (known by the acronym ADHD). It is a typical situation of the school period. There are children who are easily distracted and this behavior affects their school performance. Specialists in human behavior (especially psychologists and psychiatrists) try to correct this problem. There is no general agreement on the factors that trigger ADHD, although it seems that different aspects are involved (genetic factors, environmental factors and even a high sugar intake).
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