What does it mean to truly notice something? To really see it. Noticing is different from simply being aware of something or merely perceiving it. It requires us to show care to a thing or a person and not just acknowledge its existence. From the etymology of the word 'noticing' to insights from the psychology of perception and attention, Ziyad Marar considers noticing as a fundamental dimension to what it is to be human.

The book explores how noticing is often motivated whether by a need or pre-occupation or a pet theory. What humans notice, in particular because we're such hyper social creatures, is different from what dogs or dragonflies notice because we operate with different interests and perceptual skills. On the flipside of noticing, of course, is the common and very necessary practice of ignoring. Noticing properly doesn't necessarily mean what falls outside of that pool of light. Whether through inattentional blindness or change blindness we can miss what is in front of our eyes. Sometimes we serve our interests by ignoring what it would be inconvenient to notice. A paranoid or jealous person can start hyper-noticing in ways that can be destructive. Simone Weil for example was so sensitive to the suffering of others that she neglected to notice her own needs. Sometimes we care too much, and in these cases it might pay to look away.

Noticing looks at what it means to engage with care, consideration and meaning without becoming overwhelmed: the elusive balance between having to ignore some things whilst truly noticing others.

Ziyad Marar is a publisher and author of The Happiness Paradox (2012), Deception (2014), Intimacy (2015) and Judged: The Value of Being Misunderstood (2018).