#80: The Power of Focus - Amishi Jha, PhD

Dr. Amishi Jha is a neuroscientist and professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She's the Director and Co-Founder of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative. Dr. Jha leads research on the neural basis of attention and the effects of mindfulness-based training programs on cognition, emotion, resilience, and performance, working with the military, educators, elite athletes, and children. We discuss the 3 main subsystems of attention, the evolutionary reason for mind wandering, and recommended practices to sharpen your attention. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.com 0:00 | Introduction to Amishi Jha, PhD 4:48 | The Attention Problem 6:30 | 3 Main Subsystems of Attention 11:06 | How Subsystems of Attention Work Together 13:20 | Meta Awareness and Meta Cognition 15:30 | Evolutionary Reason for Mind Wandering 18:58 | What Makes a Thought “Sticky” 24:18 | High Stress and Attention 31:33 | Can You Undo Benefits of Mindfulness? 36:28 | Different Definitions of Mindfulness 40:18 | Recommended Practices to Train Attention 43:58 | Rapid Fire Questions

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Expert insights on the science of mental fitness. Topics include psychology, neuroscience, mental health, mindfulness meditation, productivity, brain technologies, Stoicism, happiness hacking, and more. Liam McClintock, the Founder of FitMind, talks with leaders in their fields, from neuroscientists and psychologists to Buddhist monks and professional athletes. At FitMind, we believe that the next great human frontier is the mind. FitMind combines ancient techniques with western psychology to provide mental fitness training that is taught at Fortune 500 companies, addiction centers, schools, government organizations, and on the FitMind meditation app. Liam McClintock received a B.A. from Yale and worked in finance before traveling to Asia to study meditation full-time. He is currently completing an MS in Applied Neuroscience at King’s College London. Liam is an RYS Certified Yoga & Meditation Instructor and has trained in various meditation styles. He has been featured in Time, Vice, Daily Mail, Cosmopolitan, NBC, and Men’s Health.