The myth of multitasking: Can we really multitask well?

Have you heard of multitasking? Learn now what multitasking is and what are the most popular myths about this human ability.

It’s certainly not the first time — nor will it be the last — that you’ll hear about the many benefits and advantages of being a multitasker.

The truth is that it is a concept that brings a lot of controversy, as scientific evidence has recently shown that multitasking does not exist, or at least humans, as our brain is currently developed, are not capable of performing it strictly.

We explain why below.

To begin with, what is multitasking?

In the strict sense of the word, multitasking is the ability to perform several actions simultaneously.

This concept has arisen due to technological development. Our computers are indeed capable of performing multiple tasks in parallel. Thanks to this ability, we can load and perform various tasks on our computer without reducing its performance capacity.

Because of this and our current close relationship with technology, we have wanted to transfer this ability to multitask to humans, so that one of the most demanded skills in the workplace is to be an expert multitasker.

Why can't you be a multitasking person?

Although the ability to multitask is highly valued in different fields... the reality is very different.

Humans are not strictly capable of performing two actions at the same time that engage the same areas of the brain. We can perform automatic actions like breathing and listening to music, but we cannot study and pay attention to notifications on our mobile at the same time.

What usually happens is that "we scatter our attention". When we are in a meeting with family or friends, we tend to look at our phone while someone is talking to us, or we constantly check our email inbox while designing a webpage.

However, how many times has it happened to you that while talking to a friend you checked the time on your mobile and can’t recall what it showed? Or, for example, how many times have you quickly looked at WhatsApp and had to reread the message afterward because you don't remember what it said?

These are proofs that people are not capable of performing simultaneous tasks as if we were computers. Although we would like to, in reality, the only thing we achieve with these actions is that our attention is compromised and we do not do any of the tasks we are carrying out well.

Famous myths about multitasking

Throughout your life, you have probably heard these statements a thousand times. We will tell you why they are false.

Women are capable of doing several things at once

In reality, this is not true; the root of this belief comes from the idea that for many years it was believed that a woman's brain was anatomically different from a man's brain.

However, recent studies have shown not only that this anatomical difference does not exist, but that the attention capacity for multitasking between women and men is very similar in a negative sense: we are all equally bad.

Being multitasking makes you more productive

In fact, the opposite happens: being multitasking makes you less productive in your daily life.

How is this possible? Precisely because of what we have mentioned about "scattered attention." Multitasking causes a constant distraction of attention, a shift in focus. This means that the brain, seeing that it alternates between one task and another continuously, does not focus on any. By not focusing on any and scattering its attention, it causes the tasks we are performing not to be done well at 100%.

In fact, it has been recently shown that trying to multitask causes the same cognitive decline in the brain as losing a whole night of sleep. If we prolong this situation over time, the effects on our mental health are cumulative.

Being multitasking makes you feel better

This has a hormonal explanation.

When we perform many tasks at once, we stimulate our brain with different new actions. This causes it to produce cortisol, the stress hormone, and dopamine, the happiness hormone that activates and stimulates us, making us feel happier, faster, and more decisive.

If it makes us feel this way, why is it bad? Because this is what the brain does when it receives immediate pleasure. It is the same feeling you have when you eat that delicious chocolate with churros, when you hit "next episode" on Netflix, or when you buy a treat on Amazon.

The brain is addicted to that short-term rewarding feeling, which is why it seeks and desires it even though we know it is not healthy.

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