Buzz
Struggling to focus at work? Sitting beside a highly focused colleague might be the solution. A recent study published in Psychonomic Bulletin and Review indicates that intense mental effort, much like yawning or laughter, can spread from one person to another.
In this study, Belgian researchers assigned participants to complete a computer-based task in pairs. Each pair shared a computer, and the task involved pressing a key when specific colored squares appeared on the screen. For one participant, the task was straightforward, as the squares appeared on the same side as their responding hand, making the response almost automatic. For the other participant, the task was more challenging, requiring them to respond to squares on the opposite side of their body, which demanded greater concentration.
The experiment was conducted under two conditions: one where participants could see each other's responses and another where a divider blocked their view. In both scenarios, the person with the easier task exhibited heightened concentration when their partner faced a more difficult challenge. Their responses became less automatic, indicating they were putting in more mental effort than the task typically required. This suggests that the difficulty level of a partner's task can influence one's own focus.
The researchers hypothesize that this contagious effect could stem from observing shifts in body posture when someone is deeply focused, or it might involve other factors. They even propose an intriguing possibility: individuals might subconsciously detect the scent of mental effort emitted by others.
