The Quiet Cure: Public Libraries as Restorative Environments for Dopamine Recovery and Sustained Attention

Authors

• Caleb Ovedovitz, St. John Fisher University

Document Type

Poster Presentation

Publication Date

4-17-2026

Keywords

fsc2026

Abstract

The modern digital landscape is engineered to capture attention, creating a dopamine crisis that fragments cognitive focus and imposes a significant Distraction Tax on the human mind. While smartphones and infinite-scroll platforms lead to Directed Attention Fatigue, the physical library offers a scientifically-backed antidote through Attention Restoration Theory (ART). By providing an environment of Soft Fascination, libraries allow the prefrontal cortex to recover, moving the brain from a high-dopamine, low-reward cycle into a state of deep, linear thinking. This research examines the library not as an obsolete warehouse, but as a critical Third Space and cognitive sanctuary where students can outsource their willpower to reclaim their mental autonomy and long-term wellbeing.

Comments

Poster presented at the 2026 Fisher Showcase, St. John Fisher University, April 17, 2026.

Publication Information

Ovedovitz, Caleb, "The Quiet Cure: Public Libraries as Restorative Environments for Dopamine Recovery and Sustained Attention" (2026). Fisher Showcase 2026. Paper 149.
https://fisherpub.sjf.edu/fsc2026/149

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