It is thanks to the alpha waves of the brain , long ignored by researchers until, recently, they captured the attention of neuroscientists for their role in discerning what information should be ignored . These are waves that are responsible for "shutting down" irrelevant brain activity , producing inhibition pulses approximately every 100 milliseconds . These waves appear when distracting information is expected to appear, moments before, and is greatest when that which could dispel our attention is present, as demonstrated by researchers from Nijmegen University through a study published in the journal Current Biology . "It is as if our brain closes the door moments before something deconcentrates us," the authors clarify.
The process is automatic, totally unconscious, and the more intense the more "threatening" the distraction is, the research concludes.
