How Do Emotions Affect the Ability to Maintain Attention?

Emotions such as anger, fear, guilt and bitterness are human feelings that register as physical sensations, according to the website Changing Minds. They can develop through external events that affect a person, or because of internal desires, including desires that cannot be satisfied. In terms of brain function efficiency, emotions can sometimes have a detrimental effect.

Fear

• According to Sports Coach Brian Mac, the stress of athletic competitions can cause an athlete to under-perform. Fear of failure can trigger tension, increased pulse rate and even cold sweats, leading to inability to concentrate on the job at hand. In this case, an athlete's emotional response can lead to a lack of focus and a performance spiral that ends in failure. Athletes who conquer their fears and maintain confidence have more chance of achieving performance-maximization.

Sadness

• When people are affected by matters that stir their emotions, they may need to expend psychological energy in consideration of these matters, instead of being free to think about other matters, according to psychologist George A. Bonanno. The death of a loved one, for example, is likely to consume a person's thought processes. When taking part in activities that require full attention, such as driving, a recently bereaved person may find her concentration faculties seriously compromised.

Anger

• When people are angry, they tend to get tunnel vision, seeing only a small part of the bigger picture, according to stress management and mental health professionals Glenn R. Schiraldi, Ph.D., and Melissa Hallmark Kerr, Ph.D. An angry person may be unable to process information from anywhere other than his narrow target range. Even if more pressing matters need his attention, for example an oncoming bus, an angry person tends to stay focused on the source of his anger.

Responses

• Emotions are part of a human's psychological responses, but they can interrupt other processes, such as concentration. When a person's concentration is interrupted, he may be unable to maintain attentiveness. It is as if the emotions are crying out, almost like a baby in a crib, demanding attention. Furthermore, the physical impact of emotions can cause attention drop-off, on account of the enquiring mind's need to begin an investigation into why the body is registering particular sensations.