Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life

"In Rapt, acclaimed behavioral science writer Winifred Gallagher makes the radical and compelling argument that much of the quality of your life depends not on fame or fortune, beauty or brains - or on what happens to happen to you - but on what you choose to pay attention to. Your world, and even your self, is largely constructed from the thoughts and feelings, people and things you've focused on throughout your life. Much more than you probably suspect, you can, as you move forward, actively direct your attention to create the kind of experience you want and become the person you want to be." "Drawing from the latest neuroscience and psychology, Rapt looks beyond the sound bites about multitasking, ADHD, and our distracting electronics to illuminate attention's essential function: transforming the vast, chaotic world into your own orderly, user-friendly personal version. Your brain's selective gatekeeper, it's involved in virtually every aspect of life - learning and memory, thought and emotion, work and relationships. As the expression "paying attention" suggests, you have a limited store of this cognitive currency, which you should invest wisely, because the stakes are high. On the deepest level, what you focus on can literally change your brain, and thus your behavior. On the experiential level, taking charge of your attention is the key to personal power and freedom - and the hallmark of the successful and satisfied." "Rapt introduces a diverse cast of characters, from researchers to artists and ranchers, to illustrate the art and science of living the interested life. As their stories show, by focusing on the most positive or productive elements in almost any situation,you can shape your inner experience and literally expand your world - a revelation that's especially meaningful during times of great change, whether personal or cultural. In periods of uncertainty and turmoil, not just individuals but also the larger society must make wise choices about what to focus on, and sustain that attention despite distractions." Along with organizing your internal and external worlds, attention opens the doors to the sublime experience best described as "rapt." By cultivating this ability to be completely engrossed-whether by rolling waves or a soaring aria, by rearranging your furniture or writing a poem - you improve your capacity for concentration, broaden your inner horizons, lift your spirits, and most important, feel what it means to be fully alive.

In Rapt, acclaimed behavioral science writer Winifred Gallagher makes the radical argument that much of the quality of your life depends not on fame or fortune, beauty or brains-or what happens to happen to you-but on what you choose to pay attention to. Rapt introduces a diverse cast of characters, from researchers to artists and ranchers, to illustrate the art of living the interested life.

The Washington Post - Paul Bloom

Gallagher devotes much of this engaging book to reviewing the psychology and neuroscience of attention. A journalist and the author of several books about human psychology…Gallagher blends the science nicely with examples of people whose disciplined attention has contributed to their success

Winifred Gallagher's books include House Thinking, Just the Way You Are (a New York Times Notable Book), Working on God, and The Power of Place. She has written for numerous publications, such as Atlantic Monthly, Rolling Stone, and the New York Times.