hyperfocus

English

Etymology

From hyper- +‎ focus.

Noun

hyperfocus (uncountable)

1. An intense form of mental concentration or visualization that focuses the consciousness on a narrow subject.
   • 1851, Charles Fourier, Hugh Doherty, John Reynell Morell, The Passions of the Human Soul‎^[1], Hippolyte Bailliere, page 308:

     Such are the three branches of the first power or focal passions, whereof unityism is the trunk or hyperfocus.

   • 1907, The American Amateur Photographer and Camera & Dark Room‎^[2], American Photographic Public Company, page 308:

     Such are the three branches of the first power or focal passions, whereof unityism is the trunk or hyperfocus.

   • 1959, The American Behavioral Scientist 1959-07: Volume 3, Issue 1‎^[3], Sage Publications Incorporated, page 56:

     Officials (and their wives) schemed to get to major capitals; and felt banished if they were in a secondary or tertiary post. The hyperfocus upon the dominant spots was crystallized and confirmed by the selection of news, articles and editorials in the daily and periodical press, by books published, and by courses given in universities, colleges and schools.

   • 2002, Fortune‎^[4], Time, page 206:

     "Many of us with ADD do not consider ourselves to be disabled, but rather misunderstood,'1 writes one longtime sufferer. "We tend to be highly creative and intelligent and would never admit to being impaired." Adds a reader named Julia: "We may have difficulty concentrating in the short run, but we're also capable of 'hyperfocus,' which makes us able to concentrate for hours on end and hence finish a task that take someone else far longer." Moreover; writes an emergency medical technician in Texas, "in my job, having ADD is actually an advantage. There's no one better at moving quickly from one crisis to another."

   • 2009 June 18, Larry Dorman, “Seven Years Later, Mickelson Remains a Man of the People”, in New York Times‎^[5]:

     Nicklaus’s reserve and Woods’s hyperfocus invite admiration, not the love Palmer inspired.

Related terms

• hyperfocal

Translations

intense form of mental concentration

• Portuguese: hiperfoco (pt) m

Verb

hyperfocus (third-person singular simple present hyperfocuses, present participle hyperfocusing or hyperfocussing, simple past and past participle hyperfocused or hyperfocussed)

1. (intransitive) To focus intensely.