The Superpower of Hyperfocus
Many people assume that ADHD is a disorder of a lack of attention. This is a misnomer. ADHD is a disorder of executive function deficits and issues with motivation. While individuals with ADHD may struggle with inattention and focus, we also have this amazing ability to hyperfocus.
Hyperfocus is the “clinical phenomenon of ‘locking on’ to a task” (Ozel-Kizil et al., 2016, p. 352). Bottom line, if we are uninterested, we have a hard time paying attention, however, if we are interested or excited about the topic or situation, we are all in and our amazing ability to pay attention becomes a superpower.
My Story
When I was a child I was incredibly hyperactive and completely unmedicated. I could not sit still, nor could I stop talking. I was hungry for interesting information or activities that I found exciting, and my inability to focus was driven by my need for mental and physical inspiration. If you met me as a child you would never think that I would be successful in a ballet class where you need to have discipline and focus (i.e. keep quiet and stay still). However, I thrived in this setting! I loved dancing and found myself able to peacefully settle into this highly focused environment. I ended up staying in the dance world as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer for decades. I loved what I did.
I then chose to pivot careers because I also found psychology incredibly interesting. This was another area I was able to hyperfocus in. I remember writing my dissertation and falling into the “the zone”… hours of intense focus on writing. Who could have imagined that a person with ADHD could have the ability to maintain such sustained attention?
I leaned into the activities where I was able to hyperfocus and be successful, and in doing this was able to make hyperfocus one of my tried and true superpowers.
The Research
You don’t have to be unmedicated to experience hyperfocus! Researchers found no difference in the ability to hyperfocus between groups of Adults with ADHD with and without psycho-stimulant medications (Ozel-Kizil et al., 2016). Additionally, while individuals with ADHD have been found to have more experiences of hyperfocus than their neurotypical peers (Hupfeld et al., 2019), you do not have to have ADHD to be able to achieve hyperfocus either. We (i.e. people with ADHD) just may be better at achieving it.
Hyper-focus may also lead to increased positive emotions. Hyper-focus is similar to flow. Flow is the ability to be so absorbed into an activity, that one loses track of time (Schiffer & Roberts, 2018). Studies have shown that people who experience flow have increased self-esteem, decreased anxiety, and can better utilize their coping skills (Asakawa, 2020). They also were found to have more life satisfaction and increased happiness (Asakaway, 2020).
It is important to note that there is a dark side to this ability, and we need to be aware in able to avoid the pitfalls. While hyper-focusing on a task that will lead to our success is welcomed, we can also fall into a hole of hyper-focusing on tasks that could be detrimental to our success (and well-being). Matthews et al. (2019) found that people with ADHD with greater symptom severity could be at a greater risk of developing a video game addiction.
What can we do?
ADHDers can lean into their hyperfocus and use it to be successful. Find careers that you love and you will have all the focus and attention that you need. If you are unable to do this, then find ways to maximize the things in your job that you do enjoy and find interesting.
Conclusion
Everyone can experience hyperfocus, however people with ADHD may be more prone to this phenomenon. Once we know we have this amazing ability (or superpower), we can use it to our advantage by finding what interests us. We need to acknowledge our inability to withstand boredom (i.e. when we can’t focus or are easily distracted) and lean into the things that hold our attention.
References
Asakawa, K. (2010). Flow experience, culture, and well-being: How do autotelic Japanese college students feel, behave, and think in their daily lives?. Journal of happiness studies, 11(2), 205-223.
Hupfeld, K. E., Abagis, T. R., & Shah, P. (2019). Living “in the zone”: Hyperfocus in adult ADHD. ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders, 11(2), 191-208.
Mathews, C. L., Morrell, H. E., & Molle, J. E. (2019). Video game addiction, ADHD symptomatology, and video game reinforcement. The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse, 45(1), 67-76.
Ozel-Kizil, E. T., Kokurcan, A., Aksoy, U. M., Kanat, B. B., Sakarya, D., Bastug, G., ... & Oncu, B. (2016). Hyperfocusing as a dimension of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 59, 351-358.
Schiffer, L. P. & Roberts, T. A. (2018). The paradox of happiness: Why are we not doing what we know makes us happy? The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(3), 252-259.
