By multitasking we mean performing two or more tasks simultaneously, switching back and forth from one thing to another or performing a number of tasks in rapid succession.
Many believe that if you do several things at the same time, it means you’re good and efficient. You don’t waste time because you squeeze every second out of life. But now this belief is rapidly changing as criticism of multitasking is mounting as a result of hard to believe facts, which drastically changed the picture.
Multitasking is managed by what are known as mental executive functions of the brain. These executive functions control and manage other cognitive processes and determine how, when and in what order certain tasks are performed.
Humans are capable of doing two things at a time especially when one of those activities is so ingrained that it can be done on autopilot. For instance, most of us can carry on a conversation while walking, drinking coffee or driving but what we can’t do is to concentrate on two things at once. When the brain is presented with two tasks at once, it quickly toggles back and forth between tasks, resulting in a loss of efficiency.
Area of Brain Involved In Multitasking –
Researchers found that the area of the brain, called the prefrontal cortex, which spans the left and right sides of the brain, helps to focus attention on a goal and coordinates messages with other brain systems to carry out the task. When focused on a single task, the right and left sides of the prefrontal cortex work together. The sides work independently when people attempt to perform two tasks at once.
Researchers also found, when subjects were asked to perform another task that they regularly forgot one of the three tasks they were asked to perform. They also made three times as many errors as they had made when attempting only two tasks. This shows that we can readily switch between two tasks but we get into great trouble when we try to juggle more than two tasks, simply because we have only two frontal lobes.
When the brain receives more information than it can handle, the posterior lateral prefrontal cortex (pLPFC) takes over. It has been found that left pLPFC is a key neural locus that limits an individual’s ability to make two simple decisions simultaneously as we have a limited capacity for mapping sensory information onto motor responses.
Conclusion –
Multitasking has taken over as culture that is influencing all. In today’s society, doing just one thing at a time seems to be wasteful. We think we are more efficient while multitasking. Research shows that it’s not nearly as efficient as we believe and, moreover, it can even be harmful to our health.
Multitasking has become a common trend among people, especially youngsters. In fact, we have become so habituated to doing more than one task at once that we do so without being aware of them. As a result, we lose our efficiency and none of the tasks so performed is up to the mark.
