Attention Span by Gloria Mark: Book Overview & Takeaways

A woman reading a book in her living room

What’s the book Attention Span about? Do you feel overwhelmed by the pressure to be productive? In her book Attention Span, Gloria Mark draws from decades of research on how the human brain spends its mental energy, the many ways we become distracted, and how our capacity to focus fluctuates. She also explores the different modes of attention and how we can reclaim our attention from the distractions of the modern world. Read more in our brief Attention Span book overview.

How to Be Successful in Love: The Math of “Happy Ever After”

A smiling middle-aged couple (a man with his arm around a woman) illustrates how to be successful in love

What actually makes relationships last? Is traditional dating advice steering you in the wrong direction? In his book Don’t Trust Your Gut, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz reveals surprising data about how to be successful in love. His research shows that conventional attractiveness has little impact on relationship longevity, and he shares what makes you four times more likely to find lasting love. Keep reading to discover what you can do to transform your romantic future.

How to Make a Business More Efficient: 3 Strategies to Streamline

A smiling woman working on a laptop illustrates how to make a business more efficient

Would you like to save time and money running your business? What if you could serve more customers without sacrificing quality? In his book Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got, Jay Abraham shares powerful advice on how to make a business more efficient. He explains that greater efficiency allows you to handle more customers while maintaining quality, ultimately leading to increased sales and profits. Keep reading to discover ways to review your processes, test improvements, and leverage automation that can transform your operations.

Bill Bryson’s At Home: A Short History of Private Life (Overview)

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Why are our homes designed the way they are? What can the average house tell us about human history? Bill Bryson’s At Home: A Short History of Private Life reveals how our houses serve as fascinating time capsules of human development. By examining everything from room layouts to household technologies, Bryson shows how homes reflect centuries of human innovation, cultural shifts, and daily life patterns. Keep reading to discover the surprising history behind everyday features of your home—and how dangerous our houses once were.

What Does Attention Mean? It’s More Complex Than You Think

The word "Attention" on a chalkboard, as part of a lesson teaching what attention means

What does attention mean? What’s the difference between executive and automatic attention? In Attention Span, Gloria Mark argues that defining attention isn’t as easy as it sounds—since we use the word “attention” as an umbrella term for a variety of cognitive behaviors. Mark starts from the traditional definition of attention and expands it to include automatic and dynamic factors that affect where your mind directs its focus. Keep reading if you want to learn more about the complex meaning of attention.

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz: Dating Data Can Boost Your Chances

Seth Stephens-Davidowitz: Dating Data Can Boost Your Chances

Is finding the right partner online a numbers game? What factors truly matter in the dating marketplace? The book Don’t Trust Your Gut reveals fascinating data on what people look for in romantic partners. Seth Stephens-Davidowitz’s dating research shows that, while physical appearance plays a major role (especially for women), men’s dating success depends on various factors. Keep reading to learn how you can use data to improve your dating prospects and overcome biases in the online dating world.

4 Effective Goal-Setting Techniques for Business or Personal Life

A smiling woman looking at a goal progress chart illustrates effective goal-setting techniques

Do you want to transform your business ideas into measurable successes? How can you create goals that motivate action rather than collecting dust in a forgotten document? In Getting Everything You Can Out of All You’ve Got, Jay Abraham shares effective goal-setting techniques to convert promising ideas into tangible results. He offers a framework for prioritizing ideas based on impact and feasibility before turning them into concrete objectives that guide you forward. Keep reading to discover a practical approach to achievement, whether in business or your personal life.

The 4 Types of Attention in Psychology & What They Mean

A student showing one of the four types of attention in psychology in a classroom

What are the different types of attention in psychology? What purpose does each of these attention modes have? Gloria Mark’s book Attention Span explains the different types of attention and the internal factors that shape them. These modes of attention wax and wane over time, so instead of fighting against certain types of focus, your goal should be to balance them to sustain your cognitive reserves. Continue reading to learn about attention’s highs and lows in each state.

Maryanne Wolf’s Proust and the Squid: Book Overview

A drawing of a woman with dark hair and an orange sweater reading a book and sitting on the floor

What happens in our brains when we read? How did humans develop the ability to transform marks on a page into meaning and understanding? Maryanne Wolf’s Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain explores the evolution of reading from ancient civilizations to our digital present. Wolf reveals how the brain adapts to this invented skill, reshaping pathways as we learn to connect symbols with sounds and meanings. Continue reading for an overview of this book that will make you look at a basic skill with new eyes.

The Reality of Entrepreneurship: How the Data Debunks the Myths

A businessman working late at night at a computer illustrates the reality of entrepreneurship

What does it really take to build a successful business? Is the path to entrepreneurial wealth different from what popular media portrays? In Don’t Trust Your Gut, Seth Stephens-Davidowitz challenges common myths about entrepreneurship by examining hard data. The reality of entrepreneurship is less about young geniuses with overnight success and more about experienced professionals in their 40s who understand their industries deeply. Keep reading to discover which “boring” business fields produce the most wealth and why your age might be an advantage rather than a hindrance.