#380 — The Roots of Attention

Sam Harris speaks with Amishi Jha about attention and the brain.
They discuss how attention is studied, the failure of
brain-training games, the relationship between attention and
awareness, mindfulness as an intrinsic mental capacity, the
neurological implications of different types of meditation, the
neural correlates of attention and distraction, the prospects of
self-transcendence, the link between thought and emotion, the
difference between dualistic and nondualistic mindfulness,
studying nondual awareness in the lab, the influence of
smartphones, the value of mind wandering, and other topics.


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Learning how to train your mind is the
single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam
Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness
practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join
Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the
theory behind it.