Technology on the Brain

Multi-tasking is a commonly used term referring to the illusion that we as humans are

able to execute more than one task at a time. What more and more research is showing is that this

understanding is flawed. In reality, the brain deludes itself into thinking that it can perform more

than one process at a time while it switches rapidly between focusing on each process

individually. Another effect of multitasking that has been researched is how multitasking may

have negative effects on memory. Finally, the two modes of the brain have been explored to find

that switching to the mind-wandering mode after using the focused mode can give some positive

effects that mirror what multi-tasking is thought of to be.

In the article “Think You’re Multitasking? Think Again,” Jon Hamilton reveals that

multi-tasking is simply not true for the human brain. When we think we are doing things

simultaneously, our brains are actually just “[shifting] our focus from one thing to the next with

astonishing speed” (Hamilton). This is often the result of needing to use the same part of the

brain to accomplish multiple tasks. Hamilton goes into the example of a short-order cook who

must balance remembering, cooking, and plating several orders of food at the same time. These

acts cause interference and conflict in the brain, which can be hard to handle. However, the

executive system located in the brain’s frontal lobes allows one to “exert some sort of voluntary

control over” one’s behavior thus helping one to “achieve a goal by ignoring distractions”

(Hamilton). By ignoring distractions and limiting what information the brain chooses to process,

the brain is able to switch between tasks more rapidly and pick out what jobs are more important.

This article suggests that the planning abilities of the prefrontal cortex of the brain make it

possible for humans to delude themselves into thinking they are multi-tasking.
 Matt Richtel in his article “Multitasking Takes Toll on Memory, Study Finds” explains

how multi-tasking may have malignant effects on the brain by taking away from short-term

working memory skills. This is because the act of “juggling many tasks…can divide attention

and hurt learning and performance” (Richtel). The working memory that Richtel mentions refers

to “a precious and finite resource that people tap into when they are engaged in a task,” but this

memory is connected to long-term memory as well since there is a relationship between

“people’s ability to develop long-term memories and the amount of time they spend focused on a

particular experience.” The study was conducted on how viewing an image interruption during a

task affected the rate at which the brain was able to return to the original task. It was found that

“people between the ages of 60 and 80 have significantly more trouble remembering tasks after

experiencing a brief interruption than do people in their 20s and 30s” (Richtel). This is

significant because in the current age, new technologies are becoming more and more connected

to human lives. The distractions that smartphones, smartwatches, and other hand-held devices

cause are much more serious than the interference tested. The article infers that the conclusion of

the study that the brain has a diminished ability to reactivate the networks involved in the initial

tasks may be exacerbated in the real world. Thus, Richtel argues that multi-tasking may not only

be less productive than uni-tasking, but it may also be worse for your brain and processing

abilities.

Cognitive neuroscience, as Daniel Levitin explains in his interview, is “the field that tries

to understand the biological basis, the brain basis for behaviors in general, why it is we do the

things we do, why do we have the thoughts we have.” Levitin uses cognitive neuroscience to

explore how multi-tasking affects the brain. One key term he brings up when describing multi-

tasking is information overload, defined by “the brain trying to process more than it can actually
process” which is usually only two or three things at a time at most (Levitin). Levitin explains

that physically within the brain, the neurons that fire to transmit information cannot “distiniguish

between making an important momentous decision and a trivial one in terms of the amount of

energy they use,” leading to decision fatigue. Energy is wasted on using the brain to process

simple trivial tasks that would be better used on a very stressful decision. One way to alleviate

this stress is to let one’s brain wander into a daydreaming mode to “restore some of the glucose

that has been taken up with decision making, calm the cortisol release,” the stress hormone

(Levitin). This act actually allows people to get more work done and be more creative. Levitin

connects this surprising result to what some people may think of as multitasking when they are

sleeping or relaxing and they suddenly figure out the answer to a complex problem. When the

mind is in the wandering mode, one’s thoughts are not linearly related so the brain can make

connections between things that were not as apparent before. In contrast, when someone is

stressed and cortisol is released in the brain, adrenaline is also released and the brain instead

follows the fight or flight response rather than a cool and logical response.

Hamilton, Richtel, and Levitin explore the cognitive psychology behind multi-tasking

and its negative effects. True multi-tasking is impossible for the brain, but humans are able to

shift rapidly between concentrating on more than one idea. However, this causes strain to the

brain which can negatively impact its abilities to refocus on each idea, thus causing implying

future memory problems. In addition, it is more productive to take breaks between focusing on

tasks to enhance the possibility of making different types of connections and thoughts mirroring

the way we think of multi-tasking.