Amishi Jha, PhD - The Power of Focus
Dr. Amishi Jha, neuroscientist and professor of psychology discusses the different types of attention and the benefits of mind training on The FitMind Podcast episode 80.
You can also listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or any other major podcast platform.
Episode Overview
Dr. Amishi Jha is a neuroscientist and professor of psychology at the University of Miami. She's the Director and Co-Founder of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative.
Dr. Jha leads research on the neural basis of attention and the effects of mindfulness-based training programs on cognition, emotion, resilience, and performance, working with the military, educators, elite athletes, and children.
We discuss the 3 main subsystems of attention, the evolutionary reason for mind wandering, and recommended practices to sharpen your focus.
Hope you enjoy!
P.S. — If you’re serious about starting or deepening your meditation practice, check out the FitMind meditation app.
Amishi Jha, PhD Bio
She received her PhD in Psychology (Cognitive Neuroscience) from the UC Davis, did her postdoc training at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke in functional neuroimaging, and went on to teach at UPenn. Dr. Jha’s work has been featured at NATO, the UK Parliament, the World Economic Forum, and The Pentagon. She's presented her research to the Dalai Lama, Mind & Life Institute, and Poptech.
Show Notes
0:00 | Introduction to Amishi Jha, PhD
4:48 | The Attention Problem
6:30 | 3 Main Subsystems of Attention
11:06 | How Subsystems of Attention Work Together
13:20 | Meta Awareness and Meta Cognition
15:30 | Evolutionary Reason for Mind Wandering
18:58 | What Makes a Thought “Sticky”
24:18 | High Stress and Attention
31:33 | Can You Undo Benefits of Mindfulness?
36:28 | Different Definitions of Mindfulness
40:18 | Recommended Practices to Train Attention
43:58 | Rapid Fire Questions