What's Up Docs?, What's Up Docs?, How can you improve your focus?

What's Up Docs?

What's Up Docs?

How can you improve your focus?

3 February 2026

29 minutes

Available for over a year

Welcome to What’s Up Docs?, the podcast where doctors and identical twins Chris and Xand van Tulleken cut through the confusion around every aspect of our health and wellbeing.

In this episode, Chris and Xand dive into focus and how it can be improved. How do focus and attention work? Are there different types of attention? What impacts your ability to focus? Is social media ruining your focus? How can you improve? They explore the neurology of focus and attention, why you might find it difficult to focus, and how you can get better at it.

Joining them to discuss this is Duncan Astle, Professor of Neuroinformatics at the Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge University, and leader of the 4D Research Group, which looks at childhood development and developmental disorders.

If you want to get in touch, you can email us at whatsupdocs@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08000 665 123.

Presenters: Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken

Guest: Dr Duncan Astle

Producer: Maia Miller-Lewis

Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar

Editor: Jo Rowntree

Researcher: Mili Ostojic

Tech Lead: Reuben Huxtable

Social Media: Leon Gower

Digital Lead: Richard Berry

Composer: Phoebe McFarlane

Sound Design: Ruth Rainey

At the BBC:

Assistant Commissioner: Greg Smith

Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts

A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4