WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - "Slow Down"

Episode Date: September 12, 2026

Physiologically, we need to slow down and focus.

Hi, I'm Ariel McDowell here with a word to the wise. Everyone knows our attention spans are getting shorter due to constant media consumption, a fact that can feel super discouraging. According to Gloria Mark, a professor at University of California, attention spans have dropped from two and a half minutes in 2004 to about 47 seconds now, and a shorter attention span means a restless and dysregulated nervous system. We then self-soothe with sugary foods, scrolling social media and constant music, all of which then worsen the problem.

But on a more positive note, we have neuroplasticity, Our brains are super duper malleable. It's more than likely a couple of deep breaths and five minutes of sitting in silence today would restore you to the point where you don't impulsively eat three cookies without chewing them thoroughly while multitasking three or more activities on your phone. A few weeks of reading, doing one task at a time, and having set hours away from your devices, can rewire both your preferences and your habits in just a few weeks. This has been a word to the wise on Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM.