What is hyperfixation?

Hyperfixation can be defined as an intense interest in or concentration on something for a prolonged period. This can manifest for a variety of activities or topics, and this period of focus is marked by completely disregarding everything else.1

This period of hyperfixation may appear as becoming fully engrossed in an activity, such as playing video games, watching TV, or playing an instrument, to the effect that the individual doesn’t hear their name being called, an alarm going off or stays fixated for hours at a time.Boy playing video games. Image Credit: Studio Nut/Shutterstock.com

While this hyperfocus is thought to be a critical component of cognition, hyperfixation is typically discussed within the context of neurodivergent populations or neurological disorders. 1 Hyperfixation is often referred to as hyperfocus within the scientific literature. However, the exact definition is often vague or varies between papers.1

Neurodivergent conditions linked to hyperfixation

Hyperfixation is commonly associated with a variety of neurodivergent conditions. One neurodivergent condition commonly associated with hyperfixation and the hyperfocus state is Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Individuals with ADHD experience periods of hyperfocus at a greater frequency than neurotypical individuals.1 While originally this was thought to occur due to the stimulant medications used to treat ADHD, both stimulant-naïve and stimulant-using individuals with ADHD experience this phenomenon.2

Autism Spectrum disorder (ASD) has also been associated with periods of hyperfocus. Although less defined than in ADHD research, Geurts et al. described the hyperfocus observed in these individuals as “difficulties in shifting attention, disengaging from details.” 3

While schizophrenia is a mental health condition and does not fall within the neurodivergent label, hyperfixation is noted in its presentation. 1 Schizophrenia presents with deficiencies in an individual’s memory and attention. 4,5 This hyperfocus in schizophrenia is often perceived in spatial settings, such as intense focusing on a narrow region of the wider area. 6

What is Autistic Burnout?

This has been observed by Kreither et al., who showed schizophrenic individuals can suppress peripheral visual stimuli when focusing on something in the center of their vision but cannot suppress visual stimuli in the center of their vision when focusing on the periphery. This is the inverse of healthy control individuals, which exhibited the inverse results. 7

Why do neurodivergents hyperfixate?

As hyperfocus presents itself across numerous neurodivergent and mental health conditions alongside being reported by neurotypical individuals, many researchers have speculated on the cognitive processes that produce such phenomena.

The underlying neural pathways that induce the hyperfocus state in ADHD are poorly understood. Data from some studies suggest that in ADHD, the task positive networks do not inhibit the default mode network (an area of the brain responsible for integrating incoming extrinsic information to model situations). 1,8

Whereas ADHD is typically thought to represent short attention spans and being highly distractable, the observed hyperfocus state represents a paradox. This may suggest that the attention span in such individuals isn’t impacted.

In fact, a study in 2018 showed that in adults with ADHD, spatial covert attention is intact. 9 This has led to suggestions that attention deficits are contextual, allowing individuals to hyperfixate.1

The hyperfocus associated with ASD has been proposed to arise from reduced cognitive flexibility (the ability of an individual to change between behaviors). Tasks used to infer cognitive flexibility have demonstrated hypoactivation (an abnormally low response) in individuals with ASD.1

Specific brain regions such as the prefrontal cortex, striatum, and parietal cortex had lower activity than expected for such tasks. This irregularly low activity may represent a deficit of some kind in these regions, producing the associated hyperfocus presentation.1

In Schizophrenia, it is speculated that the observed hyperfocus is not secondary to the other aspects of schizophrenia, such as white matter capacity and processing speeds, as when controlling for these factors hyperfocusing is still observed.6

Instead, researchers have pointed toward D1 and D2 dominated states within the brain’s prefrontal cortex. D1 and D2 are classes of dopamine receptors in this brain region, each producing a different level of “attraction” to stimuli. D1 signifies an “exaggerated winner-take-all dynamic” that produces a strong attraction, whereas D2 produces weaker attractions that allow for rapid updates of representations.6

Typical cognition sees a fine balance of these states, although it is postulated in schizophrenia that the D1 pathway dominates. Limited evidence supports this theory through observed increases in D1 receptors; however, D2 receptors have also been reported as increased in schizophrenia.6 This suggests that research has not captured the full picture of how hyperfocus states are produced in schizophrenia.

The positive and negative effects of hyperfixation

Hyperfixation is a complex phenomenon that can be discussed in terms of its effects on daily life due to its positive and negative connotations. Periods of hyperfocus have been proposed to be intrinsically rewarding for the individual when experiencing them, meaning these periods can be a positive experience.1

In individuals with ADHD, the periods of hyperfixation are also reported to be a positive experience due to these periods allowing the individual to engage with a task for greater periods than normal effectively. 10,11

Hyperfixation often occurs for a prolonged period, meaning it can lead to losing track of time. This “time-blindness” can interrupt daily life, making individuals late or unprepared for activities. 12,13 This hyperfocus can also lead to the current focus overshadowing life essentials, meaning meals, bedtimes, or personal hygiene may be missed. 

Managing hyperfixation

With the noted negatives associated with hyperfixations, knowledge surrounding how to manage such feelings may prove valuable to neurodivergent individuals and caregivers. Currently, techniques to manage hyperfixations are limited to non-pharmaceutical practices.

Time management tools such as allocating a time limit for an activity or using timers may also improve the management of unwanted hyperfixations. These techniques may come in the form of mindfulness practices, such as meditation. Meditation has been observed to be beneficial for inattention and attention problems in youths with ADHD.14

Conclusion

As hyperfixation may be seen as a core feature of some neurodivergent conditions, understanding the neural processes that produce such phenomena may shine further light on human cognition generally.

Furthermore, due to the ubiquitous nature of hyperfixation in neurodivergent populations, understanding how this phenomenon arises is crucial. This knowledge might help identify and characterize the changes in cognitive processes in these groups compared to neurotypical populations.

The link between hyperfocusing and schizophrenia may also prove fundamental to understanding certain mental health conditions. Furthermore, comprehending how these neural processes are altered may provide upstream targets for future therapeutics, potentially benefitting a large group of individuals. 

While hyperfixating can have some positive effects, the aforementioned negative effects mean that managing hyperfixation can improve the lives of neurodivergent individuals.

References

1. Ashinoff BK, Abu-Akel A. Hyperfocus: the forgotten frontier of attention. Psychol Res. 2021;85(1):1-19. doi:10.1007/s00426-019-01245-8 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00426-019-01245-8

2. Ozel-Kizil ET, Kokurcan A, Aksoy UM, et al. Hyperfocusing as a dimension of adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Res Dev Disabil. 2016;59:351-358. doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.09.016 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27681531/

3. Geurts HM, Corbett B, Solomon M. The paradox of cognitive flexibility in autism. Trends Cogn Sci. 2009;13(2):74-82. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2008.11.006 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19138551/

4. Green MF. Schizophrenia from a Neurocognitive Perspective: Probing the Impenetrable Darkness. Allyn & Bacon; 1998. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/psychological-medicine/article/abs/schizophrenia-from-a-neurocognitive-perspective-probing-the-impenetrable-darkness-by-m-f-green-pp-190-allyn-bacon-needham-heights-ma-1998/65D543AF6CAF88AEDADA68B9D42B7352

5. Keefe RSE, Harvey PD, Geyer MA, Gross G. Novel Antischizophrenia Treatments (Handbook of Experimental Pharmacology).; 2012.

6. Luck SJ, Hahn B, Leonard CJ, Gold JM. The Hyperfocusing Hypothesis: A New Account of Cognitive Dysfunction in Schizophrenia. Schizophr Bull. 2019;45(5):991-1000. doi:10.1093/schbul/sbz063 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6737469/

7. Kreither J, Lopez-Calderon J, Leonard CJ, et al. Electrophysiological Evidence for Hyperfocusing of Spatial Attention in Schizophrenia. J Neurosci. 2017;37(14):3813-3823. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3221-16.2017 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28283557/

8. Yeshurun Y, Nguyen M, Hasson U. The default mode network: where the idiosyncratic self meets the shared social world. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2021;22(March). doi:10.1038/s41583-020-00420-w https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7959111/

9. Roberts M, Ashinoff BK, Castellanos FX, Carrasco M. When attention is intact in adults with ADHD. Psychon Bull Rev. 2018;25(4):1423-1434. doi:10.3758/s13423-017-1407-4 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5971124/

10. Travis Sr R. Hyperfocus. AuthorHouse; 2010.

11. Goodwin TB, Oberacker H. Navigating ADHD: Your Guide to the Flip Side of ADHD. AuthorHouse; 2011.

12. Barkley RA. Behavioral inhibition, sustained attention, and executive functions: constructing a unifying theory of ADHD. Psychol Bull. 1997;121(1):65. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9000892/

13. Verbeeck WJC. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults: diagnostic imperatives. Afr J Psychiatry. 2003;6(1). https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajpsy/article/view/96391

14. Chimiklis AL, Dahl V, Spears AP, Goss K, Fogarty K, Chacko A. Yoga, Mindfulness, and Meditation Interventions for Youth with ADHD: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. J Child Fam Stud. 2018;27(10):3155-3168. doi:10.1007/s10826-018-1148-7 https://link-springer-com-443.webvpn.synu.edu.cn/article/10.1007/s10826-018-1148-7