You’ve probably heard about the research that stated your effectiveness when multitasking was about the same and if you were smoking pot. It was humorous, and so spread like wildfire last summer. What didn’t spread like wildfire was some of the research that explains it further, and that poses some interesting questions (and possibilities) about generational differences and the evolution of the brain.
“Why does this matter to a Princess?”, you might ask. Because, let’s face it, we multitask all the time. I don’t know if women really multitask more than men, but most women would probably say we do. Men seem to have an ability to compartmentalize (also experienced as “tuning you out”) while women have been juggling a gazillion balls at once since the early days.
A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education gives greater insight into what’s going on when we multitask, and WHY it can have a negative effect, even though while we’re doing it, we actually think we’re being more effective.
And that’s the key point for us – that we THINK we are being more effective, so we continue to do it more and more, when in truth, we are being less effective, which means we get farther behind, requiring more multitasking, etc. etc. You see the pattern. It’s all an illusion.
Add to this the massive amount of information we are bombarded with daily…is it any wonder that the computer age, which we thought would usher in more leisure time, has done exactly the opposite for the general masses?
The article is rather fascinating, so you may want to check it out in its entirety.
Or, if you are more into summaries or a synopsis [superemotions file="icon_wink.gif" title="Wink"] here are some of the basics.
So what’s going on when we get distracted with outside interference or information? (Or even our own inner voice that may not be able to turnoff.)
It has to do with “working memory” – our ability to “juggle facts and perform mental operations.” (Chronicle of Higher Ed.) Research from the 50′s showed that human can juggle, and remember, about 7 distinct chunks of information. I remember learning that was why phone numbers were 7 digits long.
(Of course now you have to dial 10 digits in most places. Oh, whew. We can program the number into the phone!)
When we are anxious, fatigued, in the presence of something distracting, the effectiveness of our working memory is reduced – when we are overloaded with stimuli, we are distracted.
Think of multitasking as managing multiple distractions. There are multiple “stimuli” demanding your attention.
There are 2 main ways we deal with this.
One is to “chunk” information. Remember when you were learning to drive? You thought about each step – put on your seat belt, turn the key, adjust the mirrors, watch the speedometer, check side-view mirrors, etc. Now what do you do? You just drive. It’s one chunk. This can be very effective, up to a point.
The second way we manage attention is by controlling what can have our attention. Perhaps easier said than done, of course, but if you can control what thoughts, activities, stimuli can have a piece of your attention, the capacity of your working memory is increased (or at least not diminished).
Remember, your working memory is your ability to juggle facts and perform mental operations. A pretty critical thing for anyone in this day and age.
Think about a time you were in a strange neighborhood, trying to find someone’s house. You’re driving slowly, looking at mailboxes and doorways for house numbers. How many times did you also turn down the radio? What were you doing? You were controlling WHAT had access to your attention. That’s a good thing. The trick is to apply it mindfully in other parts of our lives.
What the researchers propose is that some people are better than others at this second method. The better you are at it, the greater your working memory capacity, and hence your greater effectiveness.
What the researchers also toss out is a new question about generational differences. Is it possible that the brains of younger generations, who are growing up with these multi-stimulating technologies, are actually evolving to be able to handle this better? To find a different way of generating working memory capacity?
Who knows? It’s an intriguing idea.
And, for most of us, our brains are a tad bit older, and our best strategy is to reduce our multitasking as much as possible. It might feel like you are moving slower, but you’re actually moving faster.
What do you think? Share your comments below!
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