Awareness prevents old habits favored by automatic thoughts from having the final say in our behavior.

Pausing is essential to the process of reflection.

Slow practice is the optimal starting point for learning unfamiliar material.

We are seeing a steady decline in attention spans across all age groups. For example, research shows attention spans to be about 47 seconds (the average time we pay attention to one screenshot). There are several reasons for the decline of our capacity to pay attention. Digital distraction, multitasking, and economics (which rewards speed and efficiency) all have the potential to fracture attention span (Reed, 217).

But we all have a degree of control over how we choose to live. By living slowly, we can find life much less stressful and more fulfilling. Slowness isn’t so compatible with modern life, with all its pressures and demands. A slower pace of life reduces mental and emotional fatigue. Slowing down is also a strategic advantage for boosting productivity and creativity.

1. The power of pause

Pausing is essential to the process of reflection. Psychologist Rollo May (1981) equates pause with freedom. That is, freedom is the capacity to pause in the face of stimuli from many directions at once and, in this pause, to choose our response. The pause momentarily suspends our automatic reaction, and our responses no longer blindly follow stimulus (e.g., we remark before making an important decision, “Let me sleep on it.”). A pause can be created by a walk or 20 minutes of meditation.

2. Slowing things down

Slowing things down and deliberately paying attention to each aspect of our sensory experience can reveal things that we may have never noticed before. Awareness keeps old habits favored by automatic thoughts from having the final say in our choices. For example, mindless eating is an important reason for overeating. Research shows that the faster a person eats, the more likely (42 percent more compared to a slow eater) he or she is to be overweight. When you eat fast, the body doesn’t get a chance to signal to the brain that you have eaten enough (Hurst and Fukuda, 2018).

3. The power of slow learning

Attention to the process of learning a new skill is essential. Practice for new skills should be thoughtful, slow, and deliberate rather than rushed. When you work slowly, things become simpler. You don’t perform better when you speed through a course. Slowness and speed are interdependent. Mastering a subject requires time and patience before speed becomes possible.

4. The importance of repetition

Repetition (doing the same thing repeatedly) is essential for learning and mastering new skills. When an experience is complex, it’s a good idea to repeat it. Task repetition is a key to transforming short-term memories into long-term memories. Repetition helps to reinforce new ideas and behaviors in your mind, making them more familiar and easier to recall. Repetition allows you to turn the mundane into the extraordinary. Examples from the world of sports and music illustrate the pervasiveness of this principle. Whether you’re learning to play an instrument, speak a new language, or excel at a sport, repetition is key for building muscle memory and improving your performance. Every repetition brings you closer to your desired outcome.

5. Becoming a better listener

Research on happiness has shown that what really makes us happy is how much love we feel coming back to us (Lyubomirsky and Reis, 2026). To feel more loved requires listening better. However, that kind of genuine, focused listening is rare and quite powerful. Rather than being good listeners, we tend to impatiently wait our turn to speak or fail to ask follow-up questions. When someone feels deeply understood and valued by you, they become more willing to do the same for you. By paying attention to someone, you make that person a priority (giving value).

In sum, slowing things down and deliberately paying attention to each aspect of our sensory experience can reveal things that we may have never noticed before. Slowing the mind down in favor of slow deliberation takes vigilance, willpower, and training. Slow thinking involves analyzing information, weighing evidence, deferring interpretation, and making careful inferences.

Lyubomirsky, S and Reis, H. (2026). How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most. New York, NY: Harper.

May, R. (1981). Freedom and destiny. New York: Norton.

Reed A. (2017). Slow art: The experience of looking, sacred images to James Turrell. Oakland, CA: Univ of California Press.

Hurst, Y and Fukuda, H (2018). Effects of changes in eating speed on obesity in patients with diabetes: a secondary analysis of longitudinal health check-up data. BMJ Open;8:e019589.

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