How can you improve your focus?
What's Up Docs?
BBC
4.4 • 659 Ratings
🗓️ 3 February 2026
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.
In this episode, Chris and Xand dive into focus and how it can be improved. How do focus and attention work? Are there different types of attention? What impacts your ability to focus? Is social media ruining your focus? How can you improve? They explore the neurology of focus and attention, why you might find it difficult to focus, and how you can get better at it.
Joining them to discuss this is Duncan Astle, Professor of Neuroinformatics at the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge University, and leader of the 4D Research Group, which looks at childhood development and developmental disorders.
If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.
Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken Guest: Dr Duncan Astle Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar Editor: Jo Rowntree Researcher: Mili Ostojic Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable Social Media: Leon Gower Digital Lead: Richard Berry Composer: Phoebe McFarlane Sound Design: Ruth Rainey
At the BBC: Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:07.0 | Hello and welcome from me, Dr. Chris. |
| 0:09.3 | And from me, Dr. Zand, it is lovely to have you with us. |
| 0:12.0 | This is the podcast where together we're going to take on the complicated, |
| 0:15.2 | the often conflicted world of health and well-being. |
| 0:18.7 | From our knees to the benefits of nature and the wonders of |
| 0:22.2 | the human heart. We challenge the myths and try to uncover the facts about how we can best |
| 0:27.0 | look after ourselves and each other. Now for today's episode, lots of you listening are going |
| 0:33.0 | to be scrolling, doing work, driving, emailing. |
| 0:37.9 | They're doing it right now. Radio 4 is just on in the background. |
| 0:41.0 | Well, today is all about focus and attention. |
| 0:46.0 | Some of you may insist that you're multitasking. |
| 0:48.4 | What do we think about that, Sond? |
| 0:49.5 | Well, there might be, but what we want is people's attention and focus. |
| 0:53.8 | That's what we're asking about today. |
| 0:55.9 | How can any of us improve our ability to pay attention and focus? |
| 1:02.7 | Well, before we get into the main topic of focus and attention, Zandi, how have you been? |
| 1:09.2 | Have you got anything for me this week? |
| 1:11.0 | Are you well? |
| 1:11.6 | I'm very well. |
| 1:12.5 | Last weekend we went to a traditional village fair with our parents. |
| 1:18.0 | And I sort of was chatting to somebody and I turned around and our father had, for a pound, got five wooden balls and was throwing them at a stand of plates which he was smashing. |
... |
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