“Selective attention is a prime example of filtering by the brain,” Katherine said. “It’s called the ‘cocktail party effect.’ Picture yourself at a crowded party with your brain focused solely on the words coming from the person who is speaking to you—and then you get bored, and your focus switches effortlessly to a more interesting conversation halfway across the room. It’s what enables you to filter out background noise and not be overwhelmed by every voice within earshot.”
