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Numb

      How the Information Age Dulls Our Senses and How We Can Get Them Back

       Charles R. Chaffin

Copyright © 2021 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.

      Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.

      Published simultaneously in Canada.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per‐copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750‐8400, fax (978) 750‐4470, or on the web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748‐6011, fax (201) 748‐6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permission.

      Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

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       Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data:

      Names: Chaffin, Charles R., author.

      Title: Numb : how the information age dulls our senses and how we can getthem back / Charles R. Chaffin.

      Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : Wiley, [2021] | Includes bibliographicalreferences and index.

      Identifiers: LCCN 2021005107 (print) | LCCN 2021005108 (ebook) | ISBN9781119774358 (hardback) | ISBN 9781119774495 (adobe pdf) | ISBN9781119774488 (epub)

      Subjects: LCSH: Human information processing. | Distraction (Psychology) | Attention.

      Classification: LCC BF444 .C43 2021 (print) | LCC BF444 (ebook) | DDC153–dc23

      LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021005107

      LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021005108

      COVER DESIGN: PAUL MCCARTHY

To all who have taught me, whether scholars, students, or educators, and others who have fed my wonderment and spirit. To those closest to me – Mom, Dad, Amy, Josh, Cole, Grandma, Kostas, Ryan, Steven, Steven, Gary, Keith, David, Roger, Brian, Richard, Mike, Bob – all of whom bring love, support, and authenticity to my life. To all of the helpers.

Preface

      I wrote Numb because we have too much to read.

      This information age has us constantly plugged in, and yet we are feeling as disconnected as ever. There are a multitude of sources for news and information, yet we struggle to stay informed, as fact is labeled opinion and opinion is labeled as fact. Sensationalism provides a front‐row seat to the suffering of others, yet our capacity for