JERUSALEM, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have discovered that the human brain does not pay attention in one smooth stream, but in quick bursts, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem said in a statement on Monday.
Although it might seem like the human eyes and brain take in the world in a steady, continuous way, a new study published in Trends in Cognitive Sciences shows otherwise.
It was found that attention works more like a strobe light, flickering on and off at a regular rhythm.
As people scroll through their phones or switch between tasks, the brain is already doing something similar, the researchers explained.
Rather than processing everything at once, it takes rapid mental snapshots, more like a slideshow than a movie.
This process, named "attentional sampling," helps the brain handle the constant flood of information.
The study found that the brain focuses on visual input around eight times per second. When attention is split between two things, it alternates between them at about four times per second.
Attention is always shifting, even when feeling deeply focused. This flickering focus helps the brain manage competing visual inputs by quickly switching between them, often without being aware of it.
The idea builds on a long-standing theory called "biased competition," which suggests that different parts of the visual system compete to process information.
What drives this rhythm is still unknown, with some scientists believing higher-level brain regions may control the pattern, while others point to local brain circuits.
The researchers said this mechanism may apply not just to vision, but to all the senses, and could have wide-reaching implications for interface design, education, and neurological treatments.
