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Can we guess your age based on how easily distracted you are?

Studies show that the older you get, the easier it is to distract you. Can we guess your age? Take the quiz

Elsa Vulliamy
Wednesday 30 December 2015 09:33 GMT
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(Pixabay)

According to a recent study at the University of Cambridge, our ability to focus on one thing at a time declines with age.

When we are younger, we all have pretty much the same ability to concentrate - and we're quite good at it.

As we age, however, how well we can concentrate varies more between individuals.

Studies show that this is due to a decline in the part of our brain that controls how much external stimuli we take in.

Older people will usually be more easily distactible because they will take in more stimulus at once rather than just focusing on one thing.

Although this is due to some decline in the brain, that doesn't mean it is necessarily a negative change.

"There may well be benefits to this distractibility," says Dr Karen Campbell, from the Cambridge University Department of Pyschology, "Attending to lots of different information could help with our creativity, for example."

Can we guess your age by testing how well you can focus?

Take the quiz below.

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