How long can humans concentrate?

Everyone knows this situation: the long working day finally comes to an end. We feel tired and exhausted. As a rule, we can no longer concentrate on anything. In this context, the question often arises as to how long a person can actually concentrate fully. Linked to this is the search for solutions to free ourselves from the vicious circle of constant tiredness and listlessness. There are indeed ways to make life easier despite long working or school hours. Find out here how long a person can stay focused and how you can find your ideal working hours.

1. What is the difference between concentration and attention?

While attention moves at the level of perception, concentration is directed towards a specific activity. The in-depth thought process helps us to solve a task or perform an action flawlessly.

At school, children concentrate in their respective subjects in order to work on certain topics orally or in writing, office workers complete their PC work every day, and chefs conjure up master-class dishes without burning their fingers. The active, mental ability of concentration is therefore characterized by goal-oriented action or thinking while eliminating all the influences that surround us.

Attention, on the other hand, controls perception. It leads to certain states of consciousness: Drivers of cars, motorcycles and bicycles, as well as pedestrians, are alert to potential situations in road traffic. Conscious perception records several observations that road users simply make in passing. In this way, road users can perceive more in traffic. Driving a car or cycling as a single activity requires concentration. Perception therefore does not relate to the activity itself.

2. How long can people work productively?

What the law allows is not considered sensible by doctors: twelve hours a day as a regular daily working time. The question rightly arises as to whether a person can be productive for that long at all. Is it possible to achieve consistently productive results over such a long period of time? Occupational psychologists from Sweden, neuroscientists from Austria and Australian researchers, among other experts, consider much shorter working hours to be far more productive. According to unanimous opinion, the time span in which a person's concentration can remain constant is between four and six hours. Every hour beyond that reduces cognitive abilities and therefore the quality of work. This also applies if the employee works twelve hours a day and takes several breaks in between.

Human brain power does not correspond to the performance of a pre-programmed machine. After hours of intense concentration, our brain becomes tired. According to scientific opinion, our working memory is capable of storing a whole flood of information over a long period of time and keeping it ready for retrieval, but at some point the human brain cannot absorb any more information. As a protective mechanism, our brain reacts and sorts itself, so to speak, by either disposing of information, forgetting it or simply no longer processing it.

3. Consequences of long working hours

The effective state of concentration prevents us from acting and thinking incorrectly. This is why we can act rationally in situations that require reason. However, when people overwork, they can suffer damage. The brain's performance decreases rapidly and information is processed only incompletely or not at all. In fact, our brains no longer filter out errors. As a result, the risk of accidents increases considerably. The ability to react quickly decreases rapidly. If you can hardly walk after a long day at work because you are so tired, it is better to use public transport if possible.

However, any damage is not only noticeable in road traffic, but also in professional and private life. Tiredness caused by working too long significantly reduces the quality of life. Clumsy actions become more frequent and some people react irritably when they are tired. It is not only the overworked person who suffers, but also those around them. What can be compensated for privately with the help of other people cannot always be remedied when mistakes are made at work. If the permanently overworked employee does not complete the task assigned to them correctly, this can cost them their job.

4. What other factors does concentration depend on?

Concentration does not always depend solely on the length of time in which our minds have to perform at their best. Both external and internal factors play a decisive role here. For example, if we are faced with an unloved task or activity, our unwillingness to concentrate prevents us from thinking. Ability is also often linked to this. If we are not good at something, we will not be good at it.

In addition, there is the mood that accompanies us at the moment when we need to concentrate. If our mood is bad, our head will not be able to concentrate well either.

External stimuli are another factor that prevents people from concentrating. Children and young people at school in particular are constantly exposed to these external stimuli. Concentration suffers because the ability to select stimuli is not yet fully developed. Children are therefore very easily distracted. In order for them to concentrate on their homework, they need peace and quiet and an orderly environment.

5. How long can children concentrate?

• Children 4 to 5 years: 10 minutes on average

• Children 5 to 7 years: 15 minutes on average

• Children aged 7 to 10: on average 20 minutes

• Children 10 to 12 years: on average 25 minutes

• Children 12 to 16 years: 30 minutes on average

When it comes to how long children can concentrate, the topic of ADHD is not far away. Children who suffer from this have too few messenger substances between the individual nerve cells in the brain. They have difficulty finishing a thought. Thinking itself is hard work for children with ADHD because the neurotransmitters in the brain nerve cells are used up more quickly. Nevertheless, they can concentrate under certain circumstances. Rewards, fun and motivation can serve as thinking boosters, as long as a good dose of self-determination is involved. The driving force is not so much the task to be solved, but rather the motivating prospect of a reward.

At school, the predominant lack of ability to concentrate for long periods of time often causes problems. Tasks have to be completed in a certain amount of time, for which there is usually no reward. Pressure to perform and the fear of failure become widespread, which can then manifest itself in aggressive or clown-like behavior in ADHD.

6. How long can adults concentrate?

Adults have a longer concentration time than children. This is around 90 minutes, although the ability to concentrate generally decreases with increasing age. Cognitive abilities deteriorate and the attention span also decreases.

7. Conclusion

Very few people can choose their working hours. These are determined by the employer in an employment contract. Anyone who has to work up to twelve hours and does not have the option of flexible working hours or working from home has to bite the bullet. To avoid accidents, clumsiness and mistakes, most of the time on weekends off should be used for a regeneration phase or to take one or two days off in between.

Those who can organize their working hours flexibly are better off. After all, employees can intelligently schedule the phases of concentration that bring the highest productivity at the time of day that is most effective for them.

However, the ideal concentration time, which yields the best results in terms of work performance, is between four and six hours. The most important or most difficult tasks should be carried out during this period so that they can be completed without errors. Because the mind can't help itself, it helps to prioritize the tasks to be completed. Less important activities or mental tasks can be done without full concentration at one point or another and completed at a later time. In the end, it's a personal decision as to what works best for you.