What does multi-tasking do to your brain?

terry20Does your brain really multitask?

Neuroscientists say “no.” Multitasking is one of the great myths of the modern age. In my seminars I often have people close their eyes and try and hold two completely separate thoughts in their “minds eye” at exactly the same time. They quickly discover that they can’t. The brain will move quickly back and forth between the two images, or it will try and morph the two images into a single picture.

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What does this mean? Your brain gets only one forethought at a time.

Multitasking is actually a computer term that describes a technique by which a computer can split up its work into many processes or tasks. For example,checking email while downloading something from the Internet. An illusion is created that everything is happening simultaneously. If fact, the computer is actually switching back and forth between tasks several thousand times per second. Computers with multiple processors overcome this, but your brain doesn’t.

When you multitask your attention is actually jumping back and forth between the tasks. To observe this in real time try carrying on a conversation and calculating the tip on a restaurant bill at the same time. Here are some very interesting findings about multitasking:
• The University of California discovered that workers are interrupted, on average, 20 times per hour. Employees were only able to focus on one task for no more than 3 minutes.
• Multitasking can push your forgetting rate up by 40 percent.
• Studies in the workplace have found that, after an interruption, it takes 15 minutes for your brain to regain a deep state of concentration.
• Students who study in front of the TV, or listening to their favorite tunes, experience a drop in long-term memory.
• Older males experience the worst effects of multitasking. Younger females, the least.

This may be the worst one of all: Divided attention can produce a condition that scientists call “inattentional blindness,” looking right at something and not seeing it!

While driving a car, a two-second glance doubles the risk of an accident. Shorter multiple glances that add up to two seconds also doubles the risk.

John Ratey, a Harvard psychiatrist, says that chronic multitasking can cause “pseudo- ADD.” Those affected by this continually seek new information and have trouble concentrating on its content.

The best advice: leave the mulit-tasking to the computers.

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Terry Small


Terry Small, B.Ed., M.A., is a master teacher and learning skills specialist. He has presented on the brain for over 30 years to schools and organisations around the world. His knowledge, warmth, humour and dynamic presentation style have made him a much sought-after speaker at workshops and conferences. Terry is often on television, the radio and in the press. He has presented his ideas to over 200,000 people. Terry believes, “Anyone can learn how to learn easier, better, faster, and that learning to learn is the most important skill a person can acquire.” Terry’s wealth of teaching experience and extensive involvement in applied neuroscience and make him an outstanding resource of the business and educational communities. He resides in Vancouver, Canada. Terry Small’s Philosophy is simple: “Success is a skill anyone can learn.”