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Review
. 2024 Mar 29;10(4):83.
doi: 10.3390/jimaging10040083.

Human Attention Restoration, Flow, and Creativity: A Conceptual Integration

Teresa P Pham  1 , Thomas Sanocki  2
Affiliations
Review

Human Attention Restoration, Flow, and Creativity: A Conceptual Integration

Teresa P Pham et al. J Imaging. .

Abstract

In today's fast paced, attention-demanding society, executive functions and attentional resources are often taxed. Individuals need ways to sustain and restore these resources. We first review the concepts of attention and restoration, as instantiated in Attention Restoration Theory (ART). ART emphasizes the role of nature in restoring attention. We then discuss the essentials of experiments on the causal influences of nature. Next, we expand the concept of ART to include modern, designed environments. We outline a wider perspective termed attentional ecology, in which attention behavior is viewed within a larger system involving the human and their interactions with environmental demands over time. When the ecology is optimal, mental functioning can be a positive "flow" that is productive, sustainable for the individual, and sometimes creative.

Keywords: attention; attention restoration; attentional ecology; creativity; executive attention; flow; nature.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Garden path.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Visual representation of attentional ecology perspective.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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