A new national survey conducted by The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center reveals that the average time Americans can stay focused on a computer task has plunged from 2.5 minutes two decades ago to a startling 47 seconds today – a 69 percent decline.

The survey of 1,000 adults, conducted in May 2025, found that three out of four Americans admit they struggle to concentrate due to stress (43 percent), poor sleep (39 percent) and constant digital distractions (35 percent). (Related: What stress does to you: learn to control your stress reaction type.)

Dr. Evita Singh, a psychiatrist at Ohio State, said this dramatic shift is changing how Americans think, work and connect. Singh explains that what many perceive as a clinical attention deficit may actually be a result of sheer exhaustion.

"The stress and the ruminating and thinking about things over and over in your mind can certainly impact attention span and the ability to focus," said Singh. "Often when patients come to see me, they're worried about their ability to focus, and there's a good chance that it ends up being because they're so stressed out or they're anxious. So we work on treating that."

While digital notifications are a well-known distraction, the survey found Americans are also pointing fingers at multitasking, boredom, poor nutrition, lack of physical activity and underlying conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Singh even claimed that multitasking in particular may be doing more harm than good.

"When people are multitasking, when they have so many things in their mind that they're thinking about, they can get exhausted," Singh said. "And then it's really hard to enjoy things, which can then lead to depression or anxiety."

Research reveals hidden stress triggers hurting your focus
Professor Gloria Mark of the University of California, Irvine, confirms what Singh sees in patients with hard data.

Mark, who spent over 20 years tracking exactly how and why people lose focus, conducted her research based on wearable sensors and digital activity logs from real-world office settings. "We've found a strong correlation between short attention spans and high stress levels," Mark said.