Scientists from the University of Sydney have discovered that a 5-minute thinking break can restore attention while working on a complex task. Research published in the journal Educational and Developmental Psychologist.
72 university students participated in the study. First, everyone took a difficult pre-test in math. The task took 20 minutes and was used to get the attention of the participants.
The control group then went directly to a short lesson on how to mentally multiply two-digit numbers. The second group was given a five-minute rest before that, including a countdown to the end of the break on the computer screen. A third group watched a first-person video of a five-minute rainforest hike.
Participants who took a break responded better to the test questions. At the same time, those who watched the nature walk video answered 60% of the questions correctly, and those who watched the countdown answered 53% correctly. The difference is small, so the authors noted that both types of breaks are equally effective, the main thing is to distract as much as possible.
“You have to do something else for five minutes. Step away from your computer or device, take a breather, or sit quietly to give your brain a break from the task. Surfing social networks does not count as rest – you need to look elsewhere than the screen, ”the scientists explained.
The authors also noted that their work is one of the first evidence of the effectiveness of the Pomodoro method. This technique involves a person working for 25 minutes and then resting for five minutes.
Previous research has shown that spending time in nature helps restore focus, but not everyone has the opportunity to get out into nature while working. Some experiments suggest that simply watching a nature video has the same restorative effect, but the authors of the new study found no evidence for this hypothesis.
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