A common symptom of ADHD. It’s the ability to focus intensely on an interesting project or activity for hours at a time. People in hyperfocus often become so engrossed they block out the world around them. Unless something or someone interrupts, hours drift by as important tasks and relationships fall by the wayside.
For adults with ADHD, managing bouts of hyperfocus requires setting up external cues to redirect their attention.
Causes
Hyperfocus is thought to result from abnormally low levels of dopamine, this deficiency makes it hard to “shift gears” to take up boring tasks.
“Children and adults with ADHD have difficulty shifting attention from one thing to another,” says ADHD expert Russell Barkley, Ph.D. “If they’re doing something they enjoy or find psychologically rewarding, they’ll tend to persist in this behavior after others would normally move on to other things. The brains of people with ADHD are drawn to activities that give instant feedback.”