Whether applied to machines or human brains, “multitasking” is a misnomer, writes Richard E. Cytowic, MD, MFA. He debunks the myth that we only use 10 percent of our brain stating, “We do use 100 percent of our brain, just not all of it at the same instant.” He explains the energy requirements of today’s rich social environments, saying that keeping ourselves alert and conscious, along with shifting, focusing, and sustaining attention, are the most energy-intensive things our brain can do.
Source: The MIT Press Reader, January 7, 2025. Link.
Multitaskers are terrible at ignoring irrelevant information; they’re terrible at keeping information in their head nicely and neatly organized; and they’re terrible at switching from one task to another.”
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