Brain Games Season 2 Episode 1 Focus Pocus

In Brain Games season 2 episode 1, titled "Focus Pocus," the show delves into how our brain's attention system works. The episode starts with a simple but effective experiment where the host, Jason Silva, asks the audience to focus on a specific color and then switch their attention to another color. This experiment sets up the theme of the episode as it illustrates how our ability to focus on one thing can change depending on external factors.

The episode tackles different aspects of our attention system, starting with the concept of selective attention, which is our brain's way of prioritizing certain information and screening out other stimuli. The show explores how our ability to selectively attend to things can be improved with practice, as seen in a segment where a group of basketball players is shown more attentive after engaging in various attention training techniques.

The episode also highlights the implications of multitasking on our attention system. The show goes into detail on how our brains are not designed to focus on multiple tasks at once and how multitasking can cause our overall performance to decrease. To prove their point, the show conducts various experiments, including one where the audience is shown a video of a juggler and a hand drummer. While the audience may think they are multitasking by watching both performances, the show explains how our brains are just switching attention quickly between the two and not processing the information at the same time.

In addition to multitasking, the episode also explores how distractions can affect our attentional focus. The show uses a segment where people are asked to count the number of passes made in a basketball game while being interrupted with other stimuli to illustrate how even the simplest distractions can drastically impact how our brain processes information.

Throughout the episode, Brain Games provides lots of interactive experiments and brain teasers to let the audience experience firsthand how their attention system works. There is also a segment where the audience is encouraged to look away from the show and count how many sounds they hear in a short sequence, which not only keeps them engaged but also provides real-life examples of how their attention system can break down.

Overall, Brain Games season 2 episode 1 "Focus Pocus" educates its audience on the importance of attention, how to manage it, and the implications if misused. The show uses captivating experiments to keep the audience engaged while still providing real-life applications of the concepts discussed. The episode would be a great watch for anyone looking to learn about improving their attentional focus.