Goal-oriented behaviour requires selective attention. Attention models rest on the idea that irrelevant inputs are filtered out, but the dynamics of attentional filtering are not entirely clear. I will argue that understanding selective attention deployment in the real world requires to consider humans as active agents, who can act according to their goals to actively shape their sensory environment. I will spell out the functional relevance of two types of attention filters. First, neural filters of attention refer to patterns of brain activity related to target enhancement or distractor suppression. Previously, we found that modulation of lateralized alpha (~10 Hz) oscillatory responses in the human Electroencephalogram (EEG) signify attentional enhancement and suppression. Second, behavioural filters of attention refer to movements of the body or sensory organs to enhance versus reduce sampling of targets versus distractors, respectively. Head rotations to target sound or away from noise constitute a potentially powerful behavioural filter of auditory attention. I will present data of an auditory spatial attention paradigm, wherein participants were allowed to move their head in half of the trials. We used a gyroscope-augmented mobile EEG setup to record neural activity and head rotation. Task performance increased when participants were allowed to move their head. I will demonstrate the close interplay of neural and beavioural filters of attention, which reflects in shared temporal profiles of the two filter mechanisms. Understanding the potential and limits of neural and behavioural filters will extend attention models and enable interventions to support humans to cope with distraction.