Directed Attention Fatigue

Notes and links to studies on DAF, its causes and treatment

• 24 April 2025
• Focus Quest

What about Attention?

Sometimes, after a long day at work or when there are too many things going on, I end up experiencing what I call the "zombie state". It's characterized by:

• Grumpiness
• Feeling drained
• Increased tinnitus
• Cognitive skills are shot

A few days back I found the term Directed Attention Fatigue. That's it!

Pulling on the thread through Google Scholar, I discovered research on the topic going back to the 90's, and that there is research on the treatment, or restoration, of attention.

This is exciting! Combating the zombie state is a good chunk of the motivation that started this blog.

Studies

Links to studies that I haven't read but that look promising. More notes to come as I digest them.

• The restorative benefits of nature: Toward an integrative framework
  • Stephen Kaplan
• Attention Restoration Theory: Exploring the Role of Soft Fascination and Mental Bandwidth
  • Avik Basu, Jason Duvall, and Rachel Kaplan
• The Museum as a Restorative Environment
  • Stephen Kaplan, Lisa V. Bardwell, Deborah B. Slakter
• The reduction of directed attention fatigue through exposure to visual nature stimuli: Exploring a natural therapy for fatigue
  • Michael Varkovetski
• A measure of restorative quality in environments
  • Terry Hartig, Kalevi Korpela, Gary W. Evans & Tommy Gärling

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