Researchers say they can actually see the brain struggling. "They both involve communicating via speech or the written word, and so there's a lot of conflict between the two of them." That's because of what's called interference between the two tasks," Miller said. "You cannot focus on one while doing the other. Those things are nearly impossible to do at the same time," he said. "Think about writing an e-mail and talking on the phone at the same time. One is that similar tasks compete to use the same part of the brain. Miller said there are several reasons the brain has to switch among tasks. "You're not paying attention to one or two things simultaneously, but switching between them very rapidly." "Switching from task to task, you think you're actually paying attention to everything around you at the same time. What we can do, he said, is shift our focus from one thing to the next with astonishing speed. Miller, a Picower professor of neuroscience at MIT, says that for the most part, we simply can't focus on more than one thing at a time. And, he said, "The brain is very good at deluding itself." "People can't multitask very well, and when people say they can, they're deluding themselves," said neuroscientist Earl Miller. And it seems as if we're focusing on all these tasks simultaneously, as if we've become true masters of doing 10 things at once.īut, brain researchers say, that's not really the case. We schedule appointments while driving and listening to the radio. We answer e-mails while yapping on the phone. All within an hour, whatever time they have." Maybe go to the bank and pick up dry cleaning, and eat. Speed and accuracy are at a premium - especially when the customers are multitasking, too. "It's singularly the most difficult job in this type of operation," Long said. But Swinson's boss, manager Frank Long, says very few people can keep up without losing their cool. He's an island of calm, even when the orders are flying. Swinson has learned to handle the pressure. "My first month here, I was ready to walk out the door," he said.Īsked what it feels like when he's in the middle of rush hour, Swinson said, "Like you're in an insane asylum. On a busy day, though, they add up to a tough job for Shawn Swinson. To make it as a short-order cook, you must be able to keep a half-dozen orders in your head while cracking eggs, flipping pancakes, working the counter, and refilling coffee cups.Īnd at a restaurant like the Tastee Diner, in Bethesda, Md., the orders come in verbally, not on a ticket.Ĭhocolate chip pancakes, scrambled with sausage, order of french fries, rye toast - they're small tasks. Instead, we switch our attention from task to task extremely quickly.Ī case example, researchers say, is a group of people who focus not on a BlackBerry but on a blueberry - as in pancakes. Humans, they say, don't do lots of things simultaneously. But researchers say it's still a myth - and they have the data to prove it. But it also highlights a human skill that gave us an evolutionary edge.Īs technology allows people to do more tasks at the same time, the myth that we can multitask has never been stronger. New research shows that we humans aren't as good as we think we are at doing several things at once. The volume of gray matter, or the neurons of the brain, peaks in the early years of development.ĭon't believe the multitasking hype, scientists say.
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