The development of information technologies has made multitasking possible. This seems like a good thing, but nobody really thinks about the possible consequences. Multitasking can lead to brain damage, decreased IQ and even death. Here are some of its devastating effects:
Waste of time
People who perform multiple tasks at the same time do not devote enough time to each of them, and thus, do not solve them as well as those who focus on one thing.
The quality of the result
Doing two or more things at the same time makes you spend more time. On the other hand, multitasking makes you lose 40% of your productivity. If you do not focus on quality, you will, in fact do less.
The probability of errors
Random errors like typos or logical inconsistencies always occur during the working process. If you overload the frontal cortex of your brain, the ability to think will diminish.
Inhibited thoughts and emotions
When the multitasker’s brain reads, he does not have time to understand the complexity of the text, the feelings of those who wrote it. The deterioration of mental and emotional health negatively affects the absorption of knowledge, its understanding and perception.
Stress
Going from one task to another, keeps one in a state of continuous tension. This blocks creativity and leads to constant anxiety both in the process of completing tasks and during breaks. Such work can cause chronic stress, self-esteem problems and even depression.
Life passes by
By practicing multitasking, you forget about your own life. A multitasker always types, reads, writes, not noticing what's going on around him. Such "blind attention" fences you from vivid emotional experiences.
Memory is getting worse
Did it happen to you to forget a word in the middle of your speech? Switching from one task to another leads to short-term memory failure. Multitaskers have problems with both short-term and long-term memory.
Creativity disappears
Just as your laptop or tablet uses RAM, a multitasker can also quickly switch between open tabs while working. Scientists have found that jumping from one activity to another depletes this limited memory and strips one from creative resources.
The IQ problems
Multitasking not only slows you down, but also reduces your IQ. While constantly solving several cognitive tasks, the IQ of multitaskers could decrease to the level of an eight-year-old.
Decreases concentration
Surely you've been in this situation: you're working on something, you're distracted by the news, you've followed the link - and half an hour later you're wondering where did the time go. Decreasing concentration in multitaskers is always progressing.
Break-ups
If one continues to multitask while communicating with relatives, friends and colleagues, it looks like he doesn’t care about them, it’s like a sign that they are not a priority.
Lost energy
Multitasking involves high cognitive costs. By practicing this way of working, one also bears the biological and emotional costs. The huge amount of spent energy depletes the supply of oxygenated glucose in the brain, leaving one without ,,fuel" to concentrate.
Danger to life
The more often one practices multitasking, the more it becomes their second nature. A multitasker doesn't think about how dangerous it is - that's why so many people talk on the phone while driving.
Brain damage
Specialists compared the brains of multitaskers and people who focus on one activity at a time. It turned out that in multitaskers, the density of the "gray matter" is lower, especially in the anterior cingulate cortex. This is the area of the brain that is responsible for empathy, thought control and emotions. So multitasking reduces not only IQ, but also EQ (emotional intelligence).
