The Lost Boys

"'This younger generation has a filter mechanism,' observes Jim Lentz, group VP of marketing at Toyota Motor Sales USA. Lentz has his own focus group at home: two sons, ages 17 and 21. 'They can be doing their homework, listening to music, watching TV, on the PC, and on the phone, all at the same time. It drives my wife crazy. You assume they're just screwing around - but they're not.' This ability to focus is governed by a complex neural network called the reticular activating system, which filters sensory input to keep the brain from being overwhelmed. When you grow up in an always-on world this system may adjust to cope. 'They have a total ability to block out anything they don't want to get through,' Lentz marvels. 'From an advertising standpoint, that's what makes this animal so scary.'"