Slog - Comments on Dept. of Proving What You've Suspected for Years http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for "Multitasking" is bad for you: Multitasking messes with the brain in several ways. At the most basic level, the mental balancing acts that it requires—the constant switching and pivoting—energize regions of the brain that specialize in visual processing and physical coordination and simultaneously appear to shortchange some of the higher areas related to memory and learning. We concentrate on the act of concentration at the expense of whatever it is that we’re supposed to be concentrating on. "Multitasking" is bad for the world: the end of the decade we may call the Roaring Zeros—these years of overleveraged, overextended, technology-driven, and... Copyright 2008 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:34:02 -0800 Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:59:26 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Comment by w7ngman Trying to understand that last sentence also bad for you.

]]> w7ngman http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110247 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110247 Science Thu, 21 Aug 2008 10:49:53 -0800 Comment by GrammarCop Looks like that article was published in November 2007. I'm not sure what that implies about multitasking, but it doesn't say a lot for timeliness.

]]> GrammarCop http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110272 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110272 Science Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:16:22 -0800 Comment by Will in Seattle Me of not understand.

Deref multiple task windows and reattach dictionary and grammer functions.

Thanks of.

]]> Will in Seattle http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110284 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110284 Science Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:25:38 -0800 Comment by flamingbanjo There have been studies out for a couple years showing that people who try to do things at once do both slower. The study I remember involved math problems. People who just performed all the steps without stopping spent less time than people who went back and forth between tasks.

Not that this knowledge will make an impact on Twitter Nation. I think there is a strong element of escapism in the supposed "connectivity" revolution.

]]> flamingbanjo http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110298 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110298 Science Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:36:50 -0800 Comment by flamingbanjo Sorry, "TWO things at once."

Shouldn't post while I'm making a sandwich.

]]> flamingbanjo http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110321 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110321 Science Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:55:49 -0800 Comment by Rhiannon When did we suddenly become culturally homogeneous? The always-connected social-networked techophiles were less likely to favor the Iraq war than the average American (or at least faster to wake up and see what a stupid idea it was).

As long as we're flogging stereotypes, it is the barely-educated xenophobic liberal-hating Jesus-loving Bush-worshipers who did (and still do) favor the Iraq war. Clearly that means Jesus is bad for society.

]]> Rhiannon http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110355 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110355 Science Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:15:33 -0800 Comment by keshmeshi When I multitask, I perform activities that don't require my undivided attention. Those activities also tend to be incredibly tedious. So much so that I don't care if multitasking slows me down somewhat; dividing my attention keeps me from avoiding performing those tasks altogether.

]]> keshmeshi http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110404 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110404 Science Thu, 21 Aug 2008 12:53:04 -0800 Comment by bobcat I have ADHD - welcome to my world.

Lets go ride bikes.

]]> bobcat http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110514 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110514 Science Thu, 21 Aug 2008 14:05:56 -0800 Comment by Mike of Renton What @7 and @8 wrote.

]]> Mike of Renton http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110833 http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/08/dept_of_proving_what_youve_suspected_for#c1110833 Science Thu, 21 Aug 2008 18:59:26 -0800