Short Burst of Concentration -- How-To

Prodrome and postdrome syndromes, taking strong painkillers or dopey pills like verapamil and topamax, not to mention the Stupid Pill - there are plenty of things that watter down migraine people's ability to concentrate.

Unfortunately for us, the universe is not standing still. There are things to do and some of them can't wait till later.

Here's a little migraine hack that should allow you to increase focus for a short period of time.

Move your hands into your field of vision, close to the object you are concentrating on. That will kick-start your brain's perception and concentrate it on that area.

It might sound simplistic but that's how our brains are wired. A recent study by Richard A. Abrams, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis has shown that we see objects better when they are closer to our hands.

"The study demonstrates that humans more thoroughly inspect objects when their hands are near the object rather than farther away from it. This reflexive, non-conscious difference in information processing exists, they posit, because humans need to be able to analyze objects near their hands, to figure out how to handle the objects or to provide protection against them."

Simple but effective. Try it next time you load up on pills and need to read a label for counter-indications or some-such.


link: Keeping hands where you can see 'em alters perception, study finds