Don’t Walk Like A Wounded Animal, and You Won’t Attract The Wolves

Here is some useful information about how criminals select their victims. There is obviously more to the story, but this is helpful. They have a kind of intuition about which people are vulnerable and which potential victims are unlikely to resist or defend themselves. Some recent research continues to confirm this.

“Multiple studies have been done on how criminals select their victims. As such we have an accurate picture of what criminals look at in order to establish whether someone is vulnerable to victimization. Some of the most recent research on the subject confirms very startling notions.”

Also the author writes:

“What does this mean to the average person? The way you carry yourself can help single you out or rule you out for victimization.  While there is victim selection criteria like your gender or age that you cannot change, you can stack the deck in your favor.  Walking confidently and not exhibiting behaviors of distraction, ie: fidgeting, fumbling with cell phone, are minimal effort ways to help rule yourself out.  In the simplest terms, do you walk like you have the ability to defend yourself?  Do you drag your feet and act like a wounded animal?  Most of us give these behaviors very little attention because we have been doing them the same for years.  This was brought to my attention at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center.  We were shown countless videos, and spared countless more, of police officers falling victim to an attacker due to complacency and ultimately how they carried themselves.  While you cannot control the people around you or their depravity, you do not have to carry yourself like a victim.”

 

Source: From the minds of Psychopaths: How not to be a victim – Beyond the Sights

Driven to distraction: Our wired generation – Colorado Daily

motorcycle phone distraction

Do we need any more research confirming that we are VERY distracted As a culture?  Do we need more experts warning us about the danger of being constantly wired? Do we actually need someone to tell us that being distracted hinders students from learning?

I am convinced that we need to hear more about this for several reasons. First, the situation isn’t getting any better.  Mobile devices are now universal, especially for the younger generation. But gradually older folks are jumping on board. There is no turning back.

Second, the longer we live with connected devices, social media, mobile phones, etc. the more “normal” our distracted state becomes. We become numb to the side effects, and even forget that an undistracted life is possible.

Third, this much distraction is bad for us. The longer we study this subject the more we realize that distraction is hurting our brains, our relationships, and our joie de vivre.

Here is what Larry Rosen has to say:

“Recently my research team observed 263 middle school, high school and university students studying for a mere 15 minutes in their homes. We were interested in whether students could maintain focus and, if not, what might be distracting them. Every minute we noted exactly what they were doing, whether they were studying, if they were texting or listening to music or watching television in the background, and if they had a computer screen in front of them and what websites were being visited.

“The results were startling considering that the students knew we were watching them and most likely assumed we were observing how well they were able to study. First, these students were only able to stay on task for an average of three to five minutes before losing their focus. Universally, their distractions came from technology, including: (1) having more devices available in their studying environment such as iPods, laptops and smartphones; (2) texting; and (3) accessing Facebook…

“So, what was going on with these students? We have asked thousands of students this exact question and they tell us that when alerted by a beep, a vibration, or a flashing image they feel compelled or drawn to attend to that stimulus. However, they also tell us that even without the sensory intrusions they are constantly being distracted internally by thoughts such as, “I wonder if anyone commented on my Facebook post” or “I wonder if my friend responded to the text message I sent five minutes ago” or even “I wonder what interesting new YouTube videos my friends have liked.” Three-fourths of teens and young adults check their devices every 15 minutes or less and if not allowed to do so get highly anxious. And anxiety inhibits learning.” (emphasis mine)

Source: Driven to distraction: Our wired generation – Colorado Daily

You’re Not Multitasking, Your Switching Between Tasks. And It Doesn’t Work

Multitasking Doesn't  Work Twitter

This is a good and (mercifully) brief article on the not-so-obvious truth about multitasking. We often do it because we think we are getting more done. The truth is the opposite. When we try to focus on more than one thing at a time, we end up gettting less done, it takes longer, and the work is generally of a lower quality. This article includes some good suggestions and links to research.

“What does it even mean anyway: multitasking?

“The actual term ‘multitasking’ is misleading because we might think we’re doing more than one thing at once, but that’s not what our brain is actually doing.

“What essentially happens when we switch between tasks is just that – we switch between tasks.

“Our brain is easily distracted and jumps from task to task, taking longer to complete all tasks simultaneously than it would if it attacked them one by one.”

3 Deadly Effects of Multi-Tasking, and Why It’s Worse Than Marijuana.

Photo credit: “SunsetTracksCrop” by Arne Hückelheim – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons –