Can ‘body doubling’ really help you focus? Psychologists say maybe.

I’m writing this very sentence while sitting in a so-called “body doubling” session. On an open Zoom screen are the friendly, if focused, faces of fellow writers. Cameras are on, audio is muted, and I know we’re all working on similar tasks. That’s because we’ve shared our to-do list in the chat. When the hour wraps up, we’ll celebrate what we’ve accomplished and move on with our days.

Body doubling, a focus technique where friends, colleagues, or classmates work alongside one another to stay on task or power through difficult work, is fairly new to me. But the concept has been floating around the internet for years. It took off during the pandemic as we sat at home, struggled to focus, needed a little accountability, or just wanted to see some friendly faces. It’s especially touted in the neurodivergent community, including among those with ADHD, as a way to direct attention toward a task they’re not excited about.

But body doubling isn’t a quick fix for everybody, Will Canu, a licensed psychologist and psychology professor at Appalachian State University, tells Popular Science. Canu’s research interests include attention-deficit disorders, and he was one of the founders of AsUR, Appalachian State’s intensive student support program for, primarily, first and second-year students with executive functioning challenges. The program helps students build new academic habits and self-management skills to navigate the college transition and to support long-term academic success.

Body doubling works for some, and there are plausible scientific reasons why, Canu says. But that doesn’t mean it’s a hack that solves every focus challenge, whether the individual has ADHD or not.

“Some people with ADHD may actually do worse body doubling than by being by themselves and reducing distraction,” Canu says. “It may really be something that depends a lot on who you are.”

What is body doubling?

Exactly what constitutes body doubling depends on who you’re talking to. For Canu, it’s intentionally having a partner who is there to help facilitate your work. “Not necessarily actively,” he says. They’re “not giving you tips” he adds, “but being there with you and not being distracting.”

Russell Ramsay, a clinical psychologist who specializes on adults with ADHD and co-founded the University of Pennsylvania’s Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program, sees body doubling a bit more broadly. It could include classmates in a study group, walking buddies, personal trainers at the gym, or people trading services, such as “I’ll help you clean out your closet if you help me clean out my garage,” Ramsay tells Popular Science.

People practice body doubling in various ways, including virtually or in person. A growing industry of apps, such as Focusmate and Focus Space, along with live streamers on social media, also market themselves as a way to boost productivity with others.

Why body doubling might work

While headlines swirl around body doubling, there aren’t any large, randomized trials to show it works. “Despite the theoretical possibility of this being something that’s beneficial, we don’t have evidence that it is, besides anecdotal evidence,” Canu says. That gap prompted him to study the question a few years ago.

During the 2022 to 2023 academic year, Canu and fellow researchers added a few questions about body doubling to a larger survey of 1,600 students across seven college campuses. About 10 percent had ADHD. Their research found that while some with ADHD preferred to work with someone else, the boost in performance wasn’t huge and they weren’t seeking it out more than students without ADHD.

The two groups, however, differed in why they wanted to work with others. For students with ADHD, accountability was the top reason to study with another person, the research found. Those without ADHD were more likely to say it made studying more fun, or that they simply had someone available to lean on for help if needed.

Around 8.4 percent of children and 2.5 percent of adults experience ADHD, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Video: What is ADHD? | APA, @AmericanPsychiatricAssociation

Some theories exist around why body doubling might work for some of us. For example, Ramsay notes, body doubling draws on the fact that we’re a social species. It works by externalizing motivation, turning a private intention into a shared plan. That social commitment, plus the anticipation of meeting someone, can create a kind of dopamine “wave” that pushes people through tasks.

“A little bit of face time and that social contract helps,” Ramsay says.

Tips for a body doubling session

Does body doubling sound like something you want to try? Here are some tips about how to get started.

Pick the right partner: Look for someone who will work during the session and not spend the hour chatting. Finding partners who do similar work, such as a classmate or co-worker, can help. If you get stuck, your partner is more likely to understand the task and normalize the struggle.

Create a simple structure: Start with a quick check-in where each person states a specific, actionable goal for the session. Work quietly for a defined period, then end with a quick debrief on what got done. Regularly scheduled sessions and clear time boundaries, a set block, such as an hour, can keep tasks manageable and sustainable, Ramsay says.

Evaluate honestly: Don’t expect body doubling to work for you, Canu advises. Try it a few times, and then evaluate the results honestly. Did you actually focus better and get more done? Or were you more distracted, drained, or resentful?

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Body doubling isn’t for everyone

Canu worries that people, especially those with ADHD, will see the hype around body doubling, assume it’s a proven solution to work on undesirable tasks and then either skip better-supported treatments or feel discouraged if it doesn’t work for them.

“What bothers me is that it’s described by some as being this kind of miraculous thing, and everyone with ADHD should do it,” Canu says.

If it works, great, he says. But if you’re still struggling with getting a task done, other approaches work well and even better. Canu points to evidence-supported strategies such as breaking big tasks into smaller chunks, working at your own optimal time of day, and using low or no-cost timers or apps, such as Pomodoro-style tools, that reward sustained focus.

“There are lots of other things that you can do to maximize your effectiveness,” he says.

For me, some days a body doubling session is exactly what I need. Other days, I just need to step away from the computer and take a walk to get back on track. And that’s fine too.

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