The harmful myth of multitasking

I am driving while listening to music, and isn’t this multitasking? No. I am doing multiple things, but “at the same time.”

CHOI HOONThe author is a professor at Hallym University. Eleven is the number of windows currently open on my computer. Wouldn’t it be similar for other people? In a complicated modern society, it is a luxury to focus on one task at a time. The essential ability of modern people seems to be the ability to multitask.

However, psychology does not recognize multitasking. To be precise, it denies multitasking itself, or performing multiple tasks at the same time.

I am driving while listening to music, and isn’t this multitasking? No. I am doing multiple things, but “at the same time.” I’m not driving while listening to music, but I’m alternating between listening to music and driving.

In other words, simultaneous multitasking is impossible, and while sequential multitasking occurs, I just feel that I’m doing two things at the same time, as the transition between two tasks occurs repeatedly in a short time.

However, alternating between two tasks is not effective for the brain. Alternating between different tasks requires mental energy, the cost of task transition. Therefore, alternating between two tasks is less efficient than doing one task twice in a row. In any case, it is best to concentrate on one task without distraction.

At this point, my attention is on the mobile phone. Mobile phones are the main culprit calling for high-performance multitasking skills. My children cannot keep the phone off hands. They claim that they need the phones to study. Of course, it is true.

But mobile phones are a devil’s temptation when it comes to attention and focus. Many studies found that people had lower attention span when a phone was next to them, even when the phone was upside down.

Let’s not deny and admit the fact that phones are distracting. If you want to focus on something, silence the phone and keep it out of your sight. Then, your brain will be able to focus comfortably.