How Most People Are Killing Their Productivity

Posted on May 5, 2017

Research has shown that multitasking can reduce our productivity by up to 40%. According to the brain scans, switching from one activity to another can interfere with our brain activity.

In the study, the authors allowed the participants to watch short segments of the Star Wars, Indiana Jones and James Bond movie. Some of the films were cut into 50 second fragments whereas others watched full 6.5 minute segments. The scans tracked parts of the brain that are important in understanding narratives.

The results showed that the brain works more efficiently when focusing on one task at a time. Therefore, it may be more efficient for us to do one task a day than trying to do various things at once.

However, many of us cannot deny that multitasking may feel good, despite being less efficient. Instead of focusing on our task, we may end up reading the news or even playing a a game. The distraction of social media definitely makes things worse. Moreover, a study has also found that multitasking can even cause changes to the structure of our brains. Using several media devices at the same time could shrink the pertinent structures in our brains. People who do that have lower grey-matter density in the area of their brain that is responsible for cognitive and emotional control.


Category(s):Mental Health in Asia

Source material from Psyblog