mdolla: The Ultimate Productivity Myth: Is Multi-tasking Good For Your Brain?

Multitasking is a big part of the modern world. People are constantly doing two things at once; they send emails when they are spending time with their loved ones, they work out while texting a friend and they cook while they check Facebook.

However, all of this multi-tasking is bad for your brain. Recent studies have found that multitasking increases the production of cortisol, a stress hormone, and adrenaline, which can overstimulate the brain. This can cause a “mental fog” that makes it hard for you to concentrate or focus.

Over time this overload of information leads to a cognitive slowdown. When you have more information to process, you have less time to think about the information properly.

There are lots of benefits to modern technology. It is easier than ever to learn about anything or contact your friends. However, these benefits come at a cognitive cost to your brain. Our brains are designed to process one thought at a time, and modern technology is forcing your brain to process multiple tasks at once.

You might not even realize that you are multi-tasking. So many people are used to constantly switching from one task to another that they don’t always notice that they are doing three things at once.

If you feel like you sometimes experience mental fog – for example, you might find that you are making bad decisions, or that you struggle to respond rationally, or you may simply notice that you are making more mistakes than normal – slow down and limit the information that you need to proceed. Look at your schedule to see if you can drop any extra tasks that are taking up too much time.

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