Multitasking, A Danger To Our Brain
Multitasking (the act of doing several things at the same time) is not a good habit for our brain. It’s not good to watch TV and talk on your cell phone while talking to your partner. This impedes concentration and is reflected in a loss of cognitive and relational efficiency (as social networks have become antisocial networks).
If we look at much of the literature published in recent years, including the articles we publish on this site, we will see that there is a current that tries to show the present time as a place forgotten by our conscience.
These phrases, pages and theories are just echoes of the present saying, “Hey I’m here”! We can listen to them or not. We encourage distraction and get our brain used to constantly changing tasks, also affecting the expression and control of our emotions.
Regardless of how concerned we are about the loss of information that comes through our senses, the truth is that there are often messages that we cannot ignore.
Imagine a good man strolling and stopping in the middle of the street to think about the conversation he will have with his future in-laws over dinner. We agree that it’s not exactly a good place to relax.
You may find the example exaggerated, but imagine a person with a passion for music or a radio show who is in the habit of walking the streets with a headset in a very busy area. It is not in the same danger as in the previous example, but it is not advisable.
Multitasking and the present
Our music lover may be in the present because he is listening to a song being played right now. However, if you think about it, it is a pseudo-gift because it is unnatural at the moment he is.
In this sense, all the technology we create is one of the main reasons for the increase in the time we spend in this new dimension: multitasking.
We have devices that allow us to take movies or music anywhere. We become time optimizers, trying by all means to fill every moment of our life with activities we enjoy.
If we go to the gym, it is not uncommon to find an increasingly common character: the person is exercising, reading an electronic book and wearing headphones.
It seems that we are no longer able to pay attention only to the present tense; in what’s happening right now. We have the impression that we are wasting our time, that we have unoccupied channels that could perfectly well receive more useful or pleasant information.
We may be walking with our partner and have the feeling that we are not doing anything. We don’t think about it, it’s automatic: without realizing it, we pick up our cell phone to check the latest updates on our social network or respond to pending messages.
We do all this without realizing that we stopped listening, because we simply took up the sense that was available. The problem is that we only have one brain, which cannot manage two non-routine tasks at the same time, pay attention to two different issues that require understanding.
We lost patience along the way
Why do we automatically run away from reality? Why aren’t we able to make room for something interesting to happen? Why do we think we’re wasting time if we’re not in “multitasking mode”?
- Because we lose our patience : the patience to wait, not doing other things while we wait.
- We’ve lost our patience to listen : because what our friend is saying seems so boring that we’re looking for something more fun in our pocket.
- Because this alternative seems easier than joining the conversation and making it more interesting.
- Because what we hear at the moment seems very monotonous and we have already incorporated technological behaviors, effortlessly and without moving out of place.
Perhaps, from now on, life will become more and more hectic and we will become more and more impatient to tolerate a moment of respite. We have the impression that stimuli that are not naturally stressful have been contaminated by those that are, as if resting in a bed for a moment or listening to a good friend made us very nervous. Think about it, is this really what you want?
